The Village of the White Tiger
by swirlheart
Summary: Naruto's team go to a village that has one problem after another. They're in the middle of a drought, there's a wedding being prepared and the village is being invaded by an enemy they cannot touch. On top of all that now Sai's acting strangely. Even for him! Could everything be connected in some way? If you liked Curse of the Dragon's Pearl, you may like this, too. No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

The Village of the White Tiger

Naruto fanfiction summery: Naruto's team go to a village that seems to be having one problem after another. They're in the middle of a drought, there's a wedding being prepared and the village is being invaded by an enemy they cannot touch. On top of all that now Sai's acting strangely. Even for him! Could everything be connected in some way? If you liked Curse of the Dragon's Pearl, you may like this one, too. R&R plz.

Oh, yeah! I don't own Naruto or any of the characters from the anime/manga. That right goes to Masashi Kishimoto. So there's my disclaimer.

**Chapter 1: **

It had been two days since they had left the Leaf Village for their new mission. Even if the mission wasn't that urgent, Neji wanted to get there quickly. As team leader, he got to call the shots and could have them move as quickly as he wanted to. However, knowing the village was far away and that they could take their time if they wanted, Neji allowed them to make camp and rest for one night. Now that they were so close to the village, Neji would not allow them to rest. No one seemed to complain about this. That is, except for one blond ninja with a pebble in his shoe.

Naruto hopped up and down, trying to get it out while following the rest of the group. He knew he could have stopped at any time and then catch up with them, but he didn't want to get yelled at by either Neji or Sakura. He knew Sai wasn't the kind to complain but smile politely and keep everything bottled up inside.

When they received their mission, Lady Tsunade assigned Naruto into a group consisting of Sakura, Sai and Neji. Neji was appointed team leader instead of Sai for a couple different reasons. One was the fact that he was a Jonin. The other was, according the Lady Tsunade, he was better suited for the position on such a mission. Naruto could have sworn there was another reason but he had started to daydream after that.

They weren't given too many details about the mission. All they knew was that it was ranked as a B mission based off what the village had described. Their village was being invaded on a nightly basis but so far no one had been attacked and nothing had been stolen. With only that to go on, Naruto and the rest of the team were sent out to investigate.

Again, Naruto had been daydreaming through part of the briefing so there may have been more details than that. He didn't mean to space out, he was just bored and wanted to get going as quickly as possible.

"We're close," said Neji. "The village should be just up ahead."

"Good!" Naruto called from the back. "I'm starving. And we've been walking all day. I could use a break."

"Didn't you bring something to eat on the way?" Sai asked him.

"Yeah, but Neji won't let us stop."

Sai turned his head to look at him. "You need to stop to eat?"

Sakura sighed and waved her hand in the air. "You know what they say... Some people are just too stupid to walk and chew at the same time."

Sai nodded his head. "Oh, I see. That makes sense."

"It has nothing to do with that!" Naruto snapped. "I need to boil water! That's why I can't do it while walking and need to stop."

Sakura groaned loudly. "You brought ramen again, didn't you? I can't believe you. Why am I not surprised?"

"You can still eat it," Sai said with his usual smile. "It'll just be more crunchy and no broth."

"Shut up, Sai."

Neji looked over his shoulder. "You can relax. The village is just on the other side of these trees."

The woods became less dense and Naruto could feel the sunlight on his face again. The trees seemed to go on endlessly through the woods. He was happy to see them open up and show them the way out. The group stepped out of the woods and into the open air. Naruto took in a deep breath. He smelled water. Sure enough there was a narrow river in front of them with sparkling clear water. Neji led the way across the wood and stone footbridge. Naruto kept his eye on the water the entire time. He was so thirsty and the clear water looked so inviting, he wanted to jump right in and swim around for a bit. Sakura was looking at the water, too, and Naruto wondered if she was thinking the same thing.

As soon as they stepped off the bridge, Naruto's feet hit the ground with a crunch. He looked down. The grass was a dead yellow color and the ground was hard as stone. He looked back the way they came at the green trees. Not wanting to fall behind, Naruto followed after the others, the dry grass crunching under his feet like straw. He wondered why the plant-life was so different on this side of the river.

They walked through the village, looking around and hoping someone could give them some direction. No one seemed to take notice of them at first. Then a small child pointed at them and said something to an old woman. She looked up at them and so did the man standing beside her. The man patted her shoulder and came over to them. "Sorry about that," he said to them. "I didn't think you would be here so early, but I'm glad you are."

"It's not that early," Naruto said. "It's the middle of the afternoon."

The rest of the group pressed close together as if trying to block him out and started to introduce themselves.

"My name is Neji Hyuga, and I am the leader of this team."

"I'm Sakura, sir. Let me know if anyone is in need of medical assistance. I've been trained by the best."

"My name is Sai."

Naruto pushed his way forward. "And I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you."

The man nodded to them all. "I'm the innkeeper of this village. We don't have a headman or anyone like that here. I'm the one who sent that message to you but several other people in this village had a hand in it as well."

Naruto was a little confused. A village without a leader? Then who would they answer to? He assumed this man would be their main client.

"Please come with me to the inn and I'll explain."

Naruto, Neji, Sakura and Sai followed the innkeeper to a large wooden building. As he opened the front door, Naruto noticed that there were two stone lions perched on either side of the door facing out toward the street. Their stone mouths were open showing their clipped fangs and frozen roars. Naruto grinned at the lions and patted one on the head. "What's up?" he playfully asked one of the statues.

Sai stood beside Naruto staring at him and the statues. "Are you talking to that statue?" he asked.

Naruto frowned, taking offense. "No. I was just messing around."

They joined the others inside. The inn was very well kept and welcoming. The innkeeper took them into one of the main rooms. Looking around, Naruto figured that this was used as a sitting room. On the other side of the rice paper wall was the dining area. This room, despite being a sitting area, wasn't very furnished. There was only one armchair which sat beside a large bookcase. The only other chair in that room was a wooden one which sat against the back wall, leaving the floor wide open. Naruto wondered if this was because they had just cleaned the floor and had to get everything out of the way.

The innkeeper pulled the wooden away from the wall and sat down facing them. Neji and the others sat on the floor in front of him. Naruto didn't mind too much as long as he got to rest. His legs were tired from their constant walking. "So how much do you know about your mission?" the innkeeper asked.

"Only what our Hokage has told us," explained Neji. "That your village is being invaded on a nightly basis."

"That is true. Every night around the same time these people show up and walk the streets and then leave after a few minutes and don't come back until the next night. So far, they haven't done much more than that. No one's been attacked, nothing's been stolen, no damage to the village whatsoever."

"Then why'd you call us?" No sooner had Naruto asked the question, Sakura leaned over and elbowed him in the ribs.

"They must be invading for a reason," said Neji. "It's our job to find out what that is." He looked at one of his teammates. "What do you make of this, Sai?"

"I would say that these invaders are casing the village. They're getting familiar with it and seeing if there's anything worth taking," he said. "However, their behavior is all off."

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto, rubbing his aching side.

"Normally if someone is casing a place, they are careful not to show themselves and are quick about it," Sakura answered. "These people have been doing it long enough that everyone in the village is aware of their presence and they're still doing it. Normally it's case the place then come back and steal something. Not looking around the village every night and do nothing. It's like they're trying to be caught."

"Exactly. It's not consistent with a normal raid," Sai continued. "They don't seem to care if people know they're here or not. Usually a village attack happens much quicker than this. The object of casing a place out first is to first see if there's anything worth taking. Then it's to map out all their escape routes and make sure they can get away without being caught. You don't dawdle. It's in and out, just as Sakura said. And casing a village shouldn't take more than one night. And this is a small village in comparison to others."

"True," Neji said. "These people must be amateurs if they keep coming back and making themselves known. That's one option. The other is that they want people to know what they're doing. Or maybe this whole thing is a distraction to keep us from finding out what's really going on. Either these people are smart or clumsy."

"At any rate, they're up to something. Most people would have run by now if they were found out. Something's happening," Sakura added.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, ok... But if they're doing this every night and then leave and they're not doing anything but walking around, not even trying to be sneaky, what's the problem? I mean, why bother calling for help if they're not doing anything?"

"I do suspect that they may be waiting for their chance," said the innkeeper. "We do have a major event happening this week. We're going to be holding a wedding between a couple locals."

"A wedding?" Sakura couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes. Even if it wasn't hers, she loved weddings. They were always beautiful and she got more ideas for her future one.

"Yup," the innkeeper nodded. "It's between a local boy and a girl who hasn't been in the best of health until recently. She's always been so sick and frail. Now that she's doing much better, they want to have a wedding as soon as possible in case she takes a turn for the worst."

"You don't suppose these people, whoever they are, have been roaming the village waiting for this wedding to happen?" asked Neji. "They could be walking around trying to find evidence of a wedding. Maybe they disapprove or hold a grudge against the family or know they have something worth taking during the ceremony."

"That is possible. We have very strict traditions we must follow to the letter in order to ensure a successful marriage and good fortune. For example, on the wedding night, the bride is not allowed to leave her bedding chamber."

"Not allowed to leave?" Naruto said. "What if there was a fire or something?"

"She cannot leave the bedroom until dawn for any reason. It's tradition. It's been that way for generations. I don't know why, but it's tradition nonetheless."

"That would make her vulnerable," said Neji, his eyes narrowing seriously. "She could be the target. Or her groom. Perhaps these intruders are waiting for a wedding to take place. That is their goal."

"How long have these people been coming to the village?" Sakura asked.

"A little over a month or two I would say. Maybe. I'm not exactly sure when they started coming here. I only noticed them a few weeks ago."

"Did you get a good look at them?" Neji asked.

"I'm sorry, no. It's dark and their faces are covered."

"But you say they show up at the same time every night and then disappear?

"Yes," the innkeeper nodded. "About 10:00 I would say. They leave after a few minutes."

"Alright." Neji turned to the others. "I say we should use this time to walk around the village and map it out. We should get familiar with it just as these people have done. We'll set up from there and place people where I think we would have the best advantage against these intruders." He looked at the innkeeper. "If possible, I'd like to ask you to tell all the villagers to stay inside after sunset so there's no mistaken identity and so everyone will be out of harm's way in case a fight ensues."

"In case?" Naruto snorted. He had every intention of throttling these people the first chance he had.

As they left the inn, Naruto passed by the stone lions again and gave one of them a pat on the nose. They were amusing.

"You shouldn't do that," Sai told him. "You don't want to break it."

"It's stone, Sai." Naruto knocked his knuckles against the lion's head. "It's not that easy to break. I'm careful."

Sai smiled at him. "You should apologize to the lion for hitting its head. The way you were talking to it before..."

Naruto frowned. "Are you making a joke? Come on! I wasn't..." He felt someone at his back and turned around. It was the innkeeper.

"Do you like them?" he asked with a smile. "I brought them here from up the hill. I found them on the other side of the river by a cave. It seemed too good to pass up and I brought them here. I think they add a nice touch to the inn don't you think?" The Innkeeper polished the side of the lion's head with his sleeve. "They've been here ever since. Granted, this was years ago. They've become like pets to me."

"Ah." Naruto looked at the lion's face. For a pet, it didn't look too friendly with those glaring eyes and open mouthed roar. But the innkeeper was right. They did add something the the front of the inn.

Naruto turned and followed Sai down the street. Just when he wanted nothing more than to rest his tired legs, now he had to walk around the village with the rest of the team. In addition to that, it sounded like they were also going to being up tonight fighting off these intruders. It seemed that old saying was true about no rest for the weary.

* * *

The end. Just kidding! This will go on for a few more chapters.

Please leave nice reviews and read the next chapter ^-^


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Naruto, Neji, Sakura and Sai all split up and wandered around the village, agreeing to meet back at the inn at sunset. Naruto really didn't want to do too much walking. He was still hungry and wanted to eat something. Maybe if he used his clones to walk around the village for him... No, that might not work if they were all just as tired and hungry as he was. They might complain or refuse, especially if they were all him.

Naruto moaned loudly, kicking the dry dirt with his foot, stirring dust into the air. Very few people paid any attention to him, going about their business as usual. No one seemed worried or bothered by the invaders who would appear again tonight. It had become as normal as the sun rising and setting every day. It had become so routine that they could set their clocks to them. With no sense of urgency, Naruto lacked the ambition needed to take this mission seriously. No sense of dread or worry, no fear. With no one seeming to care, Naruto started to wonder why he should.

As he walked, he came across a group of children sitting in front of the old woman Naruto had seen on his way into the village. She was sitting on a wooden bench and the children were gathered at her feet. Curious, Naruto moved closer to the group. The old woman was saying something. The children grew excited and started waving their hands in the air, all talking at once.

"Tell that one again!" said one of the little girls.

"No, no!" said another. "Tell the one about the Lady of the Moon."

"Tell the one about the guy in a tree," said a boy.

"I like the kite story better," said another girl. The one beside her nodded in agreement.

The old woman chuckled as the children argued over what story she should tell next. "Why don't we let the quietest one suggest the next story?" She pointed to a small boy in the group with the torn pants holding something in his hands Naruto couldn't see. "What would you like to hear?" she asked him.

The boy looked around shyly, avoiding everyone's prying eyes. "Um... The one about the guy in the tree?"

One of the boys looked very pleased someone wanted to hear the same story as him and the old woman's smile deepened. "That's a good one. Let's see..."

Everyone gathered around as the woman began to tell the story. Curiosity peeked, Naruto came over and joined them. But he did not sit down. Instead, he stood in the back, listening as the old woman began.

"Once, many, many years ago, there was a young boy who desired greatness. He wanted more than anything to become a spirit. That way, he could have all the power he could ever want. He would be great and wise and everyone would look up to him. He would be treated like a god. He traveled far and wide for a long time. Finally, he came across a real spirit. It was a guardian spirit who was traveling the earth seeking his twin brother. The boy approached the spirit and bowed deeply before it. He begged the spirit to make him one, too, but the spirit refused. The boy would not take no for an answer and pleaded with the spirit. Unwilling to listen to his pleads any further, the spirit leapt away into the forest. The boy followed the spirit's path but could find no trace of it anywhere. But he did not give up. He walked for many days and nights until at last he found the spirit and his twin. He begged them to make him a spirit but still the spirit refused, telling him that he did not deserve such a thing. He told the spirit that he would prove it to them. He would do anything to prove his worthiness.

"And so the twin spirits looked at each other and decided to put him to the test. Since they could not move from where they stood during this time, they sent him on errands, one assignment after another. Many years passed and the boy had grown into a young man. Still, he was not a spirit. When he saw the twin spirits again, he pleaded with them to make him a spirit. 'I have done everything you've asked and I have performed well,' he said to them that night. 'What else must I do to prove myself?' So the twin spirits gave him a new assignment to test him. They told him to climb to the top of the tallest tree in the forest and remain there for 100 days and nights. Only then will they consider him. He could not come down until then.

"The boy agreed to these terms and did as asked. He climbed to the top of the tallest tree and remained there. The people at the local village were awed by him. Due to the tasks the guardian spirits had sent him on, he had grown strong and wise. He had come closer than anyone ever had to becoming a spirit. While he sat on the tallest branch day after day, the people of the village brought him food and water and cheered him on. Through storms and unbearable heat, he remained in the tree, unmoving."

Naruto sat among the children, listening intently to the story. This was very interesting.

"He had been up in that tree for 99 days and nights. Through it all, he remained. The people knew if anyone could become a spirit, it was this boy. Pleased by their admiration and awe, the young man decided to send a message to the twin spirits. He wrote a beautiful poem telling of his devotion and sage-like power. No storm could bring him down, no wind could shake him. Nothing would turn him from his quest. He was far too powerful and great to give up. He had set his goal and would see it through no matter what. Nothing could bring him down. He was stronger than anything.

"The message was sent to the guardian spirits and they sent one back. The villagers passed it up the tree to the young man. He smugly held the letter in his hands, knowing they would send him high praise and bestow upon him the powers of a spirit. He had proven himself great after all. Everyone told him so. It was now their turn. But when he opened the letter there was only one word written on the page. 'Hiccup'. Outraged at this response, he climbed down from the tree and ran to where the spirits sat and waved the paper in their faces. 'What is the meaning of this?' he shouted. 'What do you mean 'hiccup'? You seek to mock me? Have I not shown you my greatness?'

"'Yes,' one of the twins said to him. "For 99 days and nights. And you said not the harshest storms or powerful winds or heavy rain or blistering heat could detour you from your goal. You are far more powerful than any and all. More so than howling winds and roaring thunder and smoldering heat. Yet, it took just one hiccup to bring you back here and out of that tree.'"

The children started to laugh. Naruto chuckled, too. That boy in the story was so foolish. Just one more night and he would have proven himself. The most small and pathetic thing brought him from the tree when he thought he was so great and powerful. "What an idiot."

"Who is?"

Naruto flinched and looked over his shoulder. "Oh. Hi, Neji. What's up?"

"Have you forgotten that we are supposed to be getting acquainted with this village and preparing for this evening? What are you doing here?"

"I was just listening to the story the old lady was-"

"I don't want to hear about it. Get up!" Neji grabbed the collar of Naruto's jacket and dragged him away from the group of children just as a new story began.

Their walk around the village resumed much to Naruto's dismay. Sakura took a long look at the farm at the top of a shallow hill while Sai took a look inside the stables. Naruto walked close behind her, finding her much better company than Neji.

"I was wondering..." Sakura started.

"Yeah?"

She turned to Naruto. "What if these intruders are coming into the village at night to tamper with the crops? Perhaps it's something that must be done slowly over a long period of time."

"You mean like these people are being poisoned or something?" Naruto grew worried. Maybe it was a good thing he hadn't eaten anything yet. The crops could have been tainted.

Then Sakura started shaking her head. "No, never mind. That's stupid. From what I can see, no one in the village is sick. And they said that the girl who's getting married was sick and now she's doing much better."

"Maybe they put something in the food to help her get well."

"Maybe... But why would they do that? It doesn't make sense. I'm just reaching for ideas at this point."

Sai returned from the stables and stood beside them. "I just finished speaking to the farmer. Every animal is in its stall and nothing is missing. I found a couple of empty stalls but he said that's always so. A little extra room for additional animals in the future, he told me."

"What about the field and all these crops?" Sakura asked him.

"He told me that he keeps watch over the field on a regular basis and during the time these people show up. They do not touch his crops. He watches them closely and he checks right after they leave to make sure everything's the way it should be."

"Ok, so that's not the issue." Sakura took one last look at the field before turning away. "Let's go find Neji. We should let him know, too."

Naruto followed after them, still wondering why this was necessary.

* * *

After an early dinner, Neji and the rest of the team went outside to await the evening intruders. Neji sat on a roof in the middle of the village, frequently turning on his Byakugan to check for any approaching enemies. Sakura was positioned near the farm at the back of the village. Sai was stationed at the front entrance of the village, and Naruto was free to walk up and down the streets. Neji was certain this would be the best way to go about it. The village was pretty well covered like this.

Neji turned off his Byakugan to give his eyes a rest. So far no one was near the village who shouldn't be. He looked around the street below and saw Naruto passing between two buildings looking rather bored. He faced away just as he saw something move ahead. It was one of Sai's drawings come to life. Sai was battling someone. Neji jumped to his feet. "They're here!"

"Finally!" Naruto started to run up the road.

"Naruto, wait!" Neji ordered. "You stay here in case someone gets through. If we all go rushing to the same location, it'll leave this area open for another attack should they come from the side. I'll go." Neji jumped down from the roof and hurried to help Sai.

Naruto stood by with a pout. Just when he thought he would get to see a little action he was asked to stay behind. This wasn't fair.

His head turned hearing a loud crash. It sounded like Sakura was defending her area, too. How could that be if she was stationed toward the back of the village? These people must have been fast.

Further ahead, Neji had come to assist Sai. The ninja artist stood alone with a confused look on his face. "What happened?" he asked.

Sai shrugged, holding a scroll in one hand and a brush in the other. "I don't know. I was sure I landed a blow, but..." He looked down the road. "But now they're gone."

"You're saying they vanished?"

"No. More like they ran off into the village. But that shouldn't be. My lion should have grabbed him, only..."

Neji looked back into the village. "It doesn't matter. We have to find them and stop them. Into the village, Sai!"

"Right."

They rushed into the village and discovered that the streets were overrun with dark figures. Neji counted at least ten figures right in front of him. Just as the villagers claimed, the dark intruders did nothing threatening. They were walking up and down the street, looking over barrels and crates silently. Whether they posed a threat or not, they had to be stopped and questioned. Neji chose his target and attacked.

"Air palm!" It was a direct hit but the figure didn't turn around and kept walking as if it felt nothing. "What?" Neji tried again and again. No matter how many times he hit the figure, they did not turn around or show any sign of injury.

"That's the same problem I had," Sai told him. "None of my attacks seemed to bother them."

Neji wasn't going to take that for an answer. He switched on his Byakugan again hoping that would help. Strangely enough, it didn't make a difference. At all. As soon as he switched it on, the figures disappeared before his eyes. "What?" He could clearly see Sai and the people in the houses but he could no longer see the intruders. Had they run off? He turned off the Byakugan and they reappeared in front of him. He turned it back on and they disappeared again. Now he understood what was happening. The Byakugan couldn't see them. It couldn't detect them at all.

Meanwhile, Naruto stood in the middle of the road, waiting for something to happen. He hated having to wait around while the others got to see some action. The answer to his prayers appeared before him. Someone dressed all in black had turned into the street and started looking around. Naruto cracked his knuckles happily. "About time." He charged forward and threw a punch at the man's head. He missed. Naruto jumped back and tried again. He missed a second time. "Huh? What's going on?"

The shadowy figure didn't seem to notice him at all. They kept walking. Annoyed that his first attacks did not work, Naruto jumped up to deliver a kick to the man's head. His foot slammed into the side of a building. Naruto hopped up and down, clutching his bruised shin.

"Ok, that's it!" It was time for one of his best attacks. "Rasengan!"

He pushed his hand forward toward the man in front of him. It was going to be a direct hit. There was no way it could be avoided. The Rasengan and Naruto's whole hand flew toward the man and... right through his back.

"Huh?" Naruto's hand froze and the Rasengan faded away. His arm was sticking out of the man's back. He had gone right through him. The man walked forward and Naruto's hand was free. He felt nothing. He didn't feel his attack hit or anything. He walked beside the man and tried to grab his arm. His hand went right through him. The man walked away as if Naruto didn't exist. "It went... it went... right through... it didn't... he didn't... It went through..."

Naruto's whole body had gone cold and stiff. A shiver went up his spine and he started to tremble from head to toe. He couldn't breathe. There was only one explanation he could come up with for what just happened.

"A... A... That was a... a..." All at once, the feeling came back to his legs and he took off running. "N- Neji!"

Things weren't going much better for the rest of the group. Those figures were all over the village and none of their attacks seemed to work. Sakura joined up with the others to inform them that she couldn't land a single blow on the enemy. "So now what do we do?"

"I think it's clear that we-"

"Neji!" Naruto came running down the street like a bat out of hell, eye wide as saucers. "Neji! Sakura!" He jumped the last remaining steps and latched onto their pink-haired teammate. She couldn't pry him off. His grip was tighter than a vice.

"Naruto, calm down," Neji told him. He hadn't seen Naruto this panicked in a long time. "I take it you couldn't land an attack on the enemy either. I think I have a theory for why that is."

"Ghosts!" Naruto screamed in Sakura's ear. "They're ghosts!"

Rather than looking fearful, the others just looked annoyed.

"This again?!" Sakura finally managed to free one of her arms and started to pushed Naruto away. "Naruto, I know you're afraid of ghosts, but seriously!"

"Naruto, there's no such thing," Neji said with a groan.

"Then you explain what the hell's up with these guys!" Naruto was finally pushed off Sakura. With his arms now free, he started to point at all the shadowy figures around the village. "They're clearly ghosts! Why else wouldn't we be able to touch them? There's no other explanation! They're ghosts!"

Neji started to rub his temples, feeling the onset of a headache. "Naruto... They're not ghosts."

"I have to agree with Neji," said Sai. "From what I've heard about ghosts, they do not touch the ground and clearly these people do. See? You can see them walk and everything. They're not floating at all. And besides, ghosts are supposed to be intangible."

"What difference does it make if they like tangerines or not?" Naruto snapped.

Sakura couldn't stand it anymore and punched him right in the face. "Why are you so stupid?!"

"Intangible means that you can see right through them. They don't have a physical form," Neji explained.

"Oh." Naruto looked at the figures walking around on the ground. It was true. They were clearly on the ground and weren't floating. Not only that, but Naruto couldn't see through them. They did have a body, they just couldn't touch it. "Ok, then what are they?"

"I believe they are the work of some kind of Genjutsu," said Neji. "Which would explain why we cannot touch them and why my Byakugan cannot detect them. It's as if they aren't there."

"So this is Genjutsu?" asked Sakura. "It's not like any Genjutsu I've ever dealt with before."

"That's just one theory I have. The other is that this is the work of another kind of Jutsu. I was wondering why they would show up every night around the same time and then disappear soon after. My theory is that they are only able to maintain this form for a short amount of time so they must retreat and resume their activity another night."

"So you're thinking this isn't what it seems?"

Sai nodded. "Maybe this is a Jutsu only one person can perform on others. They flee soon after to return to that person. Perhaps this is a kind of Jutsu which allows a person to have an out of body experience and detach themselves from their physical body and place themselves here in the village so no one can touch them."

"Either way," said Sakura holding up a fist. "Their leader must be somewhere close by in order for them to do this. I say we follow them when they leave and see where their base is located. With any luck, we'll be able to find out who's responsible for all this."

"Good thinking." Neji stood facing the woods. "According to the innkeeper, they only stay in the village for a few minutes. Everyone get ready to run after them when they leave."

Naruto wasn't too keen on the idea for following potential ghosts. "But- but..."

"I'm telling you, Naruto, there are no ghosts!"

The shadowy figures started to leave. Almost at once, they turned and, faster than they arrived, were leaving the village and returning to the woods.

"Hurry! After them!" Neji led the group toward the river. They cleared it in one leap. Just on the other side of the river was the forest. Rather than go through the dense area, the figures turned slightly to their left to where the trees were more spaced out. This was easier for them to follow. Did these people want to be tracked? They hurried after them, whether it was a trap or not. "Don't lose them! Hurry!"

They had gained much more speed and were slipping away. Suddenly, they headed into the more dense area of the woods and vanished from sight. The group burst through the trees and came to a slightly open area. No one was around.

"We lost them!" Naruto panted.

"They couldn't have gotten far." Neji pointed. "Sakura and I will head this way. Naruto and Sai, I want you to head that way. Now hurry before we really do lose them."

They split up. Sai led the way through the trees, heading where it was less dense. Naruto followed, dodging branches Sai bent back and released as he passed through. Naruto kept an eye out for any shadowy figures, but they seemed to be alone. The trees had thinned out even more until stopping all together. Sai stopped suddenly, causing Naruto to bump into him from behind.

"Why'd you stop?"

Sai pointed. "See that?"

Naruto followed his finger to a cave perched at the top of a hill. The hill didn't seem too steep, but Naruto didn't really want to climb it.

"I'm thinking that someone must be hiding in that cave." Sai started to walk forward. "It seems like a good location. It's close enough to the village and no one would be able to see it from their homes. It's on the other side of the river."

"So you're going in there?" Naruto trotted closer, not wanting to be left behind. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if it's haunted or something?"

Sai turned, giving him one of his famous fake smiles. "Are you frightened? I'll hold your hand if you're that scared of the dark."

Gritting his teeth, Naruto gave Sai a hard shove toward the cave. "Just make it fast so we can get out of here. And I'm not scared!"

As they approached the cave, Naruto noticed that the opening was overgrown with weeds and shrubs. Cobwebs and vines hung thickly over the top of the opening like a curtain. The inside of the cave felt cold and eerie and smelled like wet stone and mold. He did not want to go inside.

Unconcerned, Sai moved forward, replacing his scroll with the large knife on his back. He was going to be ready should anything be inside. He inched his way in carefully then turned. "You coming?"

"I'll guard the entrance." Naruto tried not to look afraid but he couldn't stop his legs from shaking. He had a bad feeling about this place. It felt as if they were walking into a tomb. He wanted to turn back but at the same time he wanted to prove that he wasn't a coward. If there were enemies in that cave, Naruto wanted to make sure he was there to help take them down.

Sai smiled again. "Ok. You wait here. I'll go." He turned and started to enter the cave again.

"It's not because I'm scared or anything!" Naruto called from the opening.

"I know you say that," Sai called back. His voice was getting further and further away. "But all cowards say that as a cover, trying to appear brave in front of friends so they will not think lowly of them. They don't want to be seen as weak so they put on a front in a futile attempt to fool others into thinking that they are not going to waste their time with something that doesn't meet their standards."

Naruto growled. "You got that from another book, didn't you?"

Sai had disappeared and all was quiet. Naruto waited with his back against the rock wall, his body turned slightly sideways so he could see into the cave and back toward the woods at the same time. After a few minutes, Naruto started to pace the ground in small circles. His foot slipped into a ditch. At first he thought it was a hole in the ground, but it wasn't. The ground had a slight dip in it, as if a heavy stone had been removed recently. He looked and even in the dark he couldn't see any major difference in the earth. The grass was not flat and there was no discoloration. Maybe the ground was naturally like this.

There was a clang from within the cave and Naruto ducked instinctively. Everything was quiet again. Did Sai win? Was he in trouble?

Naruto crouched by the mouth of the cave and peeked inside. It was pitch black; he couldn't see a thing. "Sai?" he called nervously. "You ok? Did you get him?"

There was no answer.

"Sai?" Naruto was worried. He should have gotten an answer by now. He looked over his shoulder and then back into the cave. "Don't make me go in, don't make me go in, don't make me go... Ah, damn it." Naruto stood up and entered the cave. He couldn't stand by while Sai could have been in desperate need of his help. As scared as he was, he was even more worried about his friend.

The air in the cave was so thick and cold. It felt damp. Naruto pulled his collar up and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. His footsteps echoed off the walls of the cave. Naruto squinted in the dark. The cave wasn't very big. In addition to ghosts, Naruto was also concerned about finding bears in this cave. He wanted to find Sai and leave as soon as possible.

He stepped on something which rang against the walls and he looked down. Sai's sword was laying on the ground. Naruto gulped. This wasn't a good sign. He inched forward very slowly. Not too far ahead was a figure. Naruto fumbled for his kunai only to find a few moments later that it wasn't needed. The figure turned out to be Sai. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

Sai was sitting on the ground facing the back of the cave. He didn't appear to be injured. Naruto wondered why he was just sitting there like that.

"Sai?"

He didn't move.

Naruto whistled sharply as if calling a dog. "Sai!"

He turned around. Though he didn't appear to be injured, Sai seemed to be different somehow. He wore a stunned expression on his face and looked surprised to see Naruto standing behind him.

"Are you ok?"

Sai blinked.

Naruto wrinkled his nose at him. Sai seemed to be acting strangely. But he always found Sai to be a bit odd so maybe this behavior wasn't so out of the ordinary. This must have been normal for him. Naruto moved closer and took Sai by the arm pulling him to his feet. "Come on, let's get out of here. This cave gives me the creeps."

Sai followed Naruto out of the cave. Naruto even returned Sai's fallen sword to the sheathe on his back. Naruto gave him a pat.

"So no one was in there, huh?"

Sai stared at him without a word.

"What..? Ok, whatever." Naruto looked away. Sai was acting strangely even for him.

"Naruto, Sai!" Sakura and Neji appeared from the woods and waved to them. "Did you find anyone?"

"Nah!" Naruto called down to them. "Sai went into the cave but no one was in there."

"Yeah, we lost them, too." Sakura seemed both disappointed and relieved. "We're thinking of heading back. With no one to chase, what's the point?"

"Good plan." Naruto started down the hill then noticed that Sai wasn't following. Naruto walked back up the hill and gave Sai's arm a tug. "Well, come on. Let's go."

With Naruto's pulling, Sai followed.

Naruto shook his head. "You're acting weirder than normal. You know that, Sai?"

Sai turned his head and gave Naruto a smile. At least that part of him was normal.

* * *

Uh-oh. What do you think happened to Sai?

Please review; thanks ^-^


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**:

Everything was quiet when they returned to the village. The residents were all in their homes, the animals were locked up for the night, and there were no figures in dark clothing. Everything seemed peaceful. Still, Naruto felt a little nervous about being in the village at night. It looked creepy with no one around and no sounds. Like a ghost town.

Everyone on the team told him that there were no such things as ghosts but he had always been afraid of them. There was just something about going up against a being who was no longer of this world which could not be touched yet was able to touch others. A ghost was already dead. They could touch you but you could not touch them and they could disappear whenever they wanted. That's what freaked Naruto out the most, aside from the different horrifying forms they could take on. He had stayed up late watching scary movies before and wasn't able to sleep for the next two days, plagued by horrifying images of rotting flesh and wide ghostly eyes and dislocated jaws constantly propped open in an eternal scream rushing towards him in a relentless attack. Clearly the others could not understand why he was so afraid of them, but ghosts were scary. No amount of ninja training could prepare him for a ghost attack. How on earth would he combat one of them if they could not be touched?

The others didn't seem frightened at all. Neji and Sakura just seemed annoyed and disappointed that they could not catch up to the dark intruders. Sai had his head turned the other way so Naruto could not see his face. He had no idea what Sai was feeling... or if he could feel anything about this situation. With his friends close by, Naruto was put at ease. He felt a lot better knowing that he wasn't alone.

They returned to the inn. Neji went in first followed by Sakura. Sai paused at the door, looking at the stone lions. He smiled and bowed his head to them, as if in greeting, and then walked inside. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And he mocked me for patting one on the head and saying hi?" Naruto shrugged and entered last, closing the door.

The innkeeper was at his desk reading something. He looked up when they entered. "Well? How did..?"

Neji shook his head. "They ran off. We couldn't keep up."

"Oh, I see." The innkeeper didn't sound too disappointed.

"We'll try again tomorrow evening. You said they return at the same time every night, correct?"

This mission was nowhere near over.

Sakura had a room all to herself while the boys had to share the room next-door. Neji had the bed closest to the door and Sai had the bed closest to the window. Naruto was right in the middle. Since it was already midnight, everyone decided to turn in. As Naruto removed his headband, he looked to the side and noticed that Sai wasn't in bed yet. He was looking out the window.

"Sai?"

He didn't turn.

"It's late. Aren't you going to bed?"

Sai looked over his shoulder then back out the window. Was he looking at something? Out of curiosity, Naruto approached the window which faced the river. Naruto could see the water shimmer under the cloudless sky. The water seemed to twinkle with the endless flow of stars. It was pretty to look at. Naruto looked at Sai who was looking at the sky. Perhaps he wanted to paint it. Maybe that was why he was staring at it so intently.

Naruto patted Sai's shoulder. "Come on, it's late. Time for bed."

Sai seemed reluctant to leave the window but he willingly came along when Naruto pulled on his arms. Sai stood between the two remaining beds, looking down.

"That one's yours, remember?" Naruto said, pointing to the one on the end.

Sai knelt down and pulled back the covers. He rested his head on the pillow, facing the window. He hadn't said a word since they had gotten back. Naruto would have been more worried had he not been enjoying it. It was nice not having to hear Sai's inappropriate comments. Sometimes he wondered if Sai even knew he was insulting people. It was nice that Sai spoke his mind, and yet...

Naruto got into the bed between Sai and Neji trying not to think about it. If Sai wanted to be quiet, that was fine by him.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto needed a little help getting up. He had overslept and breakfast was already being served. Neji came to fetch him. Finding Naruto sprawled out over all three beds, he groaned and purposely stepped on Naruto's leg. "Wake up, Naruto!"

Naruto grabbed his pillow and threw it over his face. "What? What do you want?"

"I want you up. Everyone's already started eating without you and-"

Naruto sprang up in bed. "Breakfast? Why didn't you say that first? I would have been up yesterday."

"Ten minutes ago would have been fine, too."

The two entered the dining area of the inn. The innkeeper spared no generosity when it came to their morning meal. The innkeeper had agreed to give them free rooms and food as long as they were on this mission. This was good news for everyone. Naruto sat down and started filling his plate. Some of the food went straight from the table into his mouth, never making it to his plate. He reached across the table, grabbing pieces of toast and melon. He piled his plate high with eggs and sausage and cheese and rice and berries until it started to overflow.

"Knock it off!" Sakura snapped, holding her fist up threateningly. "You are such a pig!"

"What? I'm hungry." Naruto shoveled his meal into his open mouth with a spoon. As he ate, he noticed that there was still plenty of food left. It looked like Sakura had already finished eating, or had been grossed out by Naruto and lost her appitite. Neji was eating his meal more quietly, keeping his eyes down so he wouldn't have to watch Naruto eating like an animal. Sai smiled his usual grin and ate his bowl of rice without a word.

The innkeeper came in, smiling at the group. "How is your meal?"

"Great!" Naruto said through a mouthful of rice, melon and egg.

Still keeping his eyes turned away, Neji answered in a more dignified manor. "It's very good. Thank you."

"Glad to hear it. More tea?"

"Please."

Sai set down his bowl and looked across the table. At first, Naruto thought he was staring at him, but he turned out to be looking out the window behind him. Sai was still looking outside. Was he looking at the river again? No, that faced the other direction. He must have been looking at something else.

Three knocks came from the next room along with a voice. The innkeeper excused himself and went to the next room.

"I thought we were the only guests here," said Sakura.

"Apparently it's a new guest or some other business." Neji stood up to investigate. Sakura followed and Naruto shoved the last piece of sausage into his mouth and followed. He didn't want to be left behind.

The innkeeper was talking to a young man by the front desk. They seemed to know each other. Could that have been his son? The two looked up when they saw the ninja enter the room giving them curious looks.

"Sorry about that." The innkeeper pointed to the trio. "These are the ninja who have agreed to help us." He looked at them, pointing to the young man. "This is Haruki. He is the one getting married in a few days."

The young man didn't look much like an adult. He must have been in his twenties. He was tall and thin and had dark hair and brown eyes. He wore normal clothing with very little stains or tears. He looked rather ordinary. The only thing that set him apart from others was the scar on his forehead. It wasn't any particular shape. Just a straight line above his left eyebrow. Though it was nothing special, Naruto couldn't help but stare at it.

"So you're the groom?" Sakura asked, smiling. "It's very nice to meet you."

Haruki smiled back. "It's very nice to meet you, too. Are you a ninja like the others here?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. Why?"

Was this man implying that girls could not be ninja? Sakura was going to punch him for sure. Naruto knew it for a fact.

"Just because it seems like such a dangerous job. I found it odd that you would want to risk scarring such a pretty face. Then again, the fact that you don't seem to carry any past injuries must mean that you are very good at what you do. You must be talented."

Sakura turned her head to the side, trying to hide her blush. "Oh, well..." She giggled.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Who did this guy think he was, flattering Sakura like that? "Hey, aren't you getting married this week? Why are you hitting on Sakura?"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," said Haruki. "I was just being polite. I didn't mean to imply any..."

"It's ok," Sakura said, pushing Naruto aside. "He's an idiot and doesn't understand when people are just being polite. Don't mind him."

Haruki still looked a bit concerned but managed a sheepish smile anyway. "So there's just the three of you?"

"Three?" Sakura turned. "Where's Sai? Where'd he go?"

Neji looked behind them into the next room. "He's still in the dining area."

"He didn't come out with us?"

"I guess he didn't care."

Naruto looked back at Haruki, still not too keen on him being within earshot of them. "So, Haruki... What are you doing here anyway? You staying at the inn or something?"

"No, but I am having my wedding night here. I've come to check up on how things are going."

"The wedding's here?" Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"Not exactly. Just the evening."

"That's right," Neji said. "It was mentioned that the bride is not allowed to leave the bedding chamber until the next morning after the wedding. So I take it that is going to take place here at the inn."

The innkeeper nodded looking very pleased. "That's exactly right. I have the best room reserved for the happy couple. Not everything is set up yet. But it's being cleaned every day and the bed is made up and the decorations are slowing being put up. I'm saving the flowers for last. We can't have them wilting before the wedding."

"So far everything seems to be running smoothly." Haruki looked very happy.

Neji was listening to the conversation but had his eyes down, deep in thought. Naruto was tempted to poke him to see if he could get a reaction, but Neji had already looked up. "What is the name of the bride if you don't mind my asking?"

"Ayaka," they answered at the same time.

It wasn't like Neji to take an interest in something like that. He must have been up to something.

"We have time before this evening," Neji told the group. "I think we should be productive. I say we continue to observe the village and ask questions to get more information. If this wedding is the main objective, then we should do a thorough investigation. We should speak to the bride. Where is she right now? Where can we find her?"

Both the innkeeper and Haruki looked at each other, concerned.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that..."

"Ayaka has only recently been in good health. Her father is a bit on the protective side. He may not want you to investigate her. She might get easily overwhelmed. He doesn't want her to get stressed."

"We'll keep it short. It'll be more like an interview. Would that be acceptable?"

Haruki rubbed his neck. "Uh... well... I guess that would be ok." He seemed very hesitant.

"We'll make it fast," Neji assured him.

"Should we bring Sai along?"

"Nah, leave him here. It might be better if it were just us anyway."

For once, Naruto agreed completely with Neji. Bringing Sai into such a situation could have been disastrous.

* * *

Since Haruki had more work to do, he showed them where Ayaka lived and left them to handle it themselves. Ayaka's house was right in the middle of the village surrounded by other houses. The buildings didn't look that different from each other. They were all made of wood, they were all the same height and size. The only thing that made it possible to tell her house apart from the others was the front door. Unlike the others, their front door had a floral wreathe hanging down like a round, sweet-smelling window. Naruto wondered if it was always decorated this way or if it was on account of the wedding.

Neji knocked twice and waited. The door opened soon after and a large man appeared in the doorway. Naruto gulped and stepped back. This man certainly looked the part of an over protective father. Not only was he so tall the top of his head touched the door frame, but he was heavily built to boot. Naruto looked away and then looked back. The man didn't look any less intimidating.

"Excuse me," Neji spoke up. "We are from the Hidden Leaf Village. We were called here to investigate the uninvited people who have been coming into the village every night. May we come in and meet your family and ask you a few short questions? It won't take long."

The man stepped aside, allowing them entry. "It better not."

Naruto hurried inside, trying to avoid the man's gaze. They all stood in the main room and lined up. The man took off his jacket and hung it up on a hook by the door. Now this man didn't look as intimidating. It must have been the jacket that made him look bigger. Now he seemed to be around the same build as Kakashi. The man had muscles but he wasn't as buff as he looked before. He was still tall, though. And he looked rather mean. Naruto decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Ayaka!" the man called. "Could you please come in here?"

A girl entered the room quickly and stood beside the tall man. "Yes, daddy?"

She was pretty cute. Naruto was glad she wasn't as tall and scary as her father. She was only half his size and seemed very shy and sweet. She had on a long sundress but was wearing a pair of thick leggings underneath. It was rather warm outside, so Naruto guessed that her father had wanted her to dress this way so there was no danger of her being too cold. This was the first indication that he was protective of her. Ayaka was pale, too. Not as pale as Sai but she came close, as if she had never been out in the sun before. She was thin, too. Her eyes were the same color as Sakura's and they were around the same height. And, even though Sakura would punch him for even thinking this, their chests were about the same size as well. Naruto still thought Sakura was prettier. Maybe? Naruto studied the girl a little longer. Maybe they were both equal?

As Ayaka moved closer to them, Nauto noticed that her hair was very strange. It changed color depending on where she stood. At first, it looked the same color as dark straw, then it looked like a light chestnut color. Now it looked like a pale red. It was as if her hair took after a chameleon and couldn't decide what color it should be. That was the oddest thing about her. Aside from her necklace, of course. Unlike most necklaces worn by girls, this one didn't have any sparkling jewels. It was a strange white ornament in the shape of a cylinder. The shape reminded Naruto of an ice cream cone. Now he was hungry again.

Neji had already began asking questions to the family and they were responding. Though he seemed to want to ask more to be more thorough, Neji kept it to a minimum. "And this is it? Just the two of you live here?"

"It has been so for the past couple of years, yes."

Ayaka stroked her father's hand tenderly. "My mother left the family and went to be with someone else. She found it too difficult to take care of a sick child like me."

Her father squeezed her hand and held her close, as if silently assuring her that it was not her fault and she is not of any less worth.

"Has your family ever been threatened in any way?"

"No. If anything we are pitied because of my poor health," answered Ayaka. "Everyone likes daddy and he has many friends and I have well-wishers come by all the time. They are happy for me to get married. I don't know of anyone who wishes ill upon us."

This was good to hear, but Neji knew just because the family wasn't made aware doesn't mean it isn't true. Sensing that the father was getting agitated, Neji quickly finished up. "Thank you for your time and cooperation. It's nice to see you in good health."

The father was quick to open the door and show them out. Ayaka waved them good-bye, a little disappointed they had to leave so quickly.

"That was a waste of time," Naruto complained. "What was the point of that? We were in and out in a couple minutes."

"The point was to meet the family and get any information we can. Besides, it's not like we have anything else to do until tonight." Neji looked up and down the street. "We still have plenty of time before nightfall. It isn't even noon yet. I think we should spend this time looking around the village. Maybe we can set up traps... No, that might not work if we can't even touch the enemy... We can still walk around and make sure everything's in order. We can meet with the other villagers. Maybe we can get more information about this wedding. Find out who is involved in it."

Naruto did not like the sound of this. He would much rather take this time to relax and hang around doing nothing. All these assignments Neji was having them do seemed like pointless busy work. At least they would be occupied until tonight.

* * *

Another chapter posted ^-^

There is a cover for this fanfiction on deviantart. If anyone wants to take a look at it, it's there. Just type in the fiction title and you should find it.

Please review! Thank you ^-^


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Rather than walk around the village questioning people, Naruto instead spent his time doing absolutely nothing. He was tempted to go back to the inn and either take a nap or have a snack, but he was sure the others would find fault with that and forbid him from doing so. Instead, he spent the past few minutes wandering around in search of the old lady who was telling stories yesterday. That was entertaining and passed the time. Sadly, she was nowhere to be found.

"Ah, this place is so boring!" Naruto whined to himself. He was about ready to bang his head against the wall. Normally, they would have their hands full with powerful enemies and be battling every few minutes. When they weren't doing that, they were on high alert for an ambush so they were always doing something and it was exciting not knowing when they would be attacked. In this case, they knew exactly when they were going to be invaded and the enemy only appeared for a few short minutes.

Naruto had to find something to do until then. He had mixed feelings about tonight. On the one hand, he felt unenthusiastic about the evening invasion. If they would only appear for a short amount of time, didn't cause any harm and no one could touch them, what was there to be excited about? Any battle would be pointless. Second, he felt a little nervous. He still wasn't convinced that these people weren't ghosts. These two emotions were making it difficult for Naruto to be inspired to leave the inn and go outside at night.

Something caught his eye. A little boy in torn, muddy pants trotted by clutching something in his hands. Naruto recognized him from yesterday. He was the boy who requested the story the old woman told. The boy went straight to the well across the street. Naruto watched from a distance, curious. The boy stood on his toes, holding onto the stone wall with one arm, pulling himself closer. He brought his other arm up and dropped something into the well. He watched it fall then backed away. He looked at the sky, then back at the well. He waited for a few more seconds then left back the way he came.

That was odd. What had he just thrown into the well? Naruto walked across the street and over to the well. He peered over the circular stone wall. It was so dark, Naruto couldn't see the bottom. He leaned over the edge for a closer look. He couldn't see anything. Thanks to the wooden roof over the well, the stone was cool under his palms. He leaned his head a little closer, looking straight down. He smelled stone and dirt and wood. A well usually had a more damp smell than this. Naruto pulled his head out and looked around. Another odd thing about this well was the fact that there were no buckets or ropes. How did the people get the water?

Naruto was confused. This was a strange well. He wanted to know why that boy had thrown something down there. What had he thrown? Was he using this well as his personal garbage can? Was he using it as a wishing well and tossing coins down? Maybe he was hiding his vegetables in it? Naruto had no idea.

He started back to the inn, figuring no one would yell at him since it was so close to lunchtime.

When he returned, he was greeted once again by the stone lions. Naruto playfully started making faces at them and mimicking their silent roars. Satisfied, he went inside.

Sakura and Neji had already returned and were waiting around the table. He joined them without comment. Then he noticed that Sai wasn't sitting with them. He turned around and saw Sai sitting in a wooden chair looking out the window. Was he still doing that? What could have been so interesting he couldn't be bothered with anything else?

The innkeeper brought them their meals. Sai did not leave the window and he did not touch his food.

"Naruto?"

"Huh?" Naruto was so distracted by Sai and his own lunch that he hadn't heard Sakura ask him something.

"I asked if you found anything out that could be useful."

"No, not really." He swallowed. "But I did see this one weird kid who was throwing stuff down a well."

"What was he throwing?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see. But he was tossing stuff down the well alright. No one seemed to care."

"Who do you mean?" the innkeeper asked, filling Naruto's teacup. "You mean Nozomu?"

"Nozomu? This kid with ripped pants covered in dirt?"

"That's him alright."

"You know this kid?"

"Of course I do," the innkeeper said. "He's my nephew. He comes in and plays in the rooms here on rainy days." He gave a weary sigh. "He hasn't done that in so long since it hasn't rained here for weeks."

"I thought there was a drought going on," Sakura said sounding proud of herself for knowing the answer.

"A drought?" Naruto picked up his rice bowl. "So that's why everything's so dry around here?" He started eating and then spoke again with his mouth full. "I don't get it."

"No rain means everything gets dry. Which is why it's called a drought," Sakura spoke to him very slowly as if he were a toddler who didn't know any better.

"I'm not stupid. But everyone in this village must be." Sakura punched him and his bowl landed on the floor. "Ow! No, hear me out before you hit me! What I mean is... if there's a drought going on, then there's no water, right? Which is why everything's dry. But that doesn't make any sense because the river's going right by the village. Why not use that water on the land and everything. See? It's not like they have no water."

"We're trying to conserve water as much as possible," the innkeeper explained. "It hasn't rained here for weeks and the well has run dry. It's only a matter of time before the river does, too. So we're only using the river water on the things that really need it. Like the crops and the animals and the people who live here. Throwing it on the ground to water the grass would be wasteful and foolish."

"The well's dry? Is that why the kid's throwing stuff down it?"

"No. But it's not without reason." The innkeeper set down the teapot. "That well has been dry for years. It's not a recent thing. Nozomu is just trying to make it rain."

"How? How does throwing junk down a well make it rain?"

"Because of the tiger and dragon."

"The what now?" Naruto was even more confused than before.

"The tiger and dragon," Neji repeated. "It's basic yin and yang. The tiger rules over the earth while the dragon's domain is the sky. They balance each other. When the tiger roars, it signals the dragon to make it rain, bringing water and life to the earth."

"That's exactly right," the innkeeper beamed. He seemed very impressed that Neji would know such things. Naruto and Sakura weren't that impressed. If anyone would know such information it would be Neji. "And if tiger bones are tossed into the Dragon's Well, then the dragon will become enraged and bring forth a storm. Which is why tiger bones are tossed down the well during a bad drought."

Naruto blinked. "So that kid's throwing tiger bones down that well?"

"No, no," the innkeeper laughed. "There are no tigers around here. He's throwing chicken bones down there."

"Chicken? So they're similar to tiger bones?" Sakura was getting ready to punch him again for being so stupid.

"No, but it's what we have available. He's been tossing down all sorts of things recently out of desperation. Drawings of tigers, a wooden tiger toy, chicken bones, duck bones, sticks that look like bones and even rocks. He's just trying to make it rain. He believes it will actually work because he's heard about the tiger and dragon so much. But I doubt it will help any."

"Why, because they're not tiger bones?"

"No, because that's just an ordinary well. The actual Dragon's Well is a myth. Its true whereabouts are unknown. It may be in another village or it could be a celestial thing and not be of this earth. No one really knows for sure."

Naruto looked at his overturned rice bowl with a sigh. That kid was trying to help but it was pointless. Naruto sort of felt bad for the people in the village. In fact, he was so distracted that he did not notice that Sai had been watching them this whole time from where he sat. He was sitting silent and still, looking at the innkeeper, Naruto and the other two as if listening to the story. Then he turned away, facing out the window again.

* * *

There was plenty of time to kill before that evening. So much so that even Neji allowed them from free time to do what they wanted. There was no one to interview and nothing to keep watch for. This suited Naruto just fine. Now he was allowed to goof off without fear of being reprimanded. So he spent his time looking for the old woman, hoping to hear another story. That was an enjoyable way to pass the time.

Luck was on his side. The old woman was sitting on a bench outside a small building which may have been her house. Children were gathered around her as before, listening to the story nearing its end. Naruto was disappointed that a story had already started and would have to listen to the end without knowing how it began. He always hated that. It was like hearing the answer before the question. It left him curious and a little annoyed.

As soon as the current story ended, Naruto sat behind the other children while they begged for another story. They waved their hands in the air and called out their requests.

"The kite story!" one of them said. "Tell that one next!"

The other children were all in agreement of this. The old woman laughed and nodded her head. "That's a good one alright. Very well."

Naruto moved closer, sitting cross-legged on the ground as the story began.

"Long ago, there was a village full of people and houses. Everyone was friendly to each other and helped each other out. However, if they ever needed advice or answers, they looked to the sage who lived in the village in the largest house at the end of the street. Though the sage was wise and strong, he was very cruel. Believing that everything was due to him because of his vast knowledge, he had everyone in the village treat him like a king. Even though he already had their respect and admiration, he demanded more from them. He ordered that everyone in the village, no matter the time of day, had to come out and bow to him every time he left the village. The villagers had grown used to this, but it was becoming more and more difficult to do as ordered. Women left the stove, the sick had to leave their beds, children had to be woken from their naps and games and meals were abandoned to go outside and bow before the sage as he left on errands. But they dared not refuse his wish. They relayed on his wisdom for so much. He was so wise and powerful, no one in the village stood a chance.

"One day, as the sage left on an errand, his carriage stopped, noticing there was one missing from the crowd of bowing people lining the streets. He forced his horse to stop and pounded on the door of an old man who had not come out to see him off. He forced his way in and found the old man in his bed, terribly ill. He was too weak to move and could not leave his bed even to bow to the sage. Even seeing this, the sage demanded he bow to him properly. If the old man did not, he would be severely punished. Barely able to speak, the old man pleaded for the sage to spare him for he was too sick to bow even if his life depended on it; which it did. The villagers outside begged the sage to spare the old man, offering to bow twice to make up for this old man's inability to do so. The sage allowed this and left the village.

"Then, a few days later, the sage had to leave the village once again. This time, no one was there to bow as he left. Outraged, the sage went in search of the people. He found all the villagers by the edge of the village gathered in a sad circle with their heads bowed low. He began to rant and rave at the people, demanding to know why they disobeyed his orders. 'Forgive us,' a villager told him, 'But we were laying to rest the old man who did not bow to you before. He has passed away and we were giving him a proper burial.'

"This only angered the sage more. 'So this old man is worth more than I, your great and knowledgeable sage who has done nothing but help you all these years and answered all your questions and given you advice which has only improved your lives? This is how you repay me for all my good and hard work? You revolt against me?' The people told him this was not the truth, but the sage would not hear of it. 'When I return, you will all be sorry you crossed me. You will pay for your insolence.' With that, he returned to his carriage and left the village.

"The villagers began to panic. They feared his punishment. He could have them all killed if he wanted. This man had spoken to spirits, which no one had ever done before. He probably had the ability to unleash them upon the village and destroy them all if he chose to do so. They did not stand a chance against him. They had been living in fear of him for years now. 'What should we do?' the villagers asked one another. 'Should we flee? Should we leave the village and escape from him?' Another villager shook his head. 'No, the sage is too clever. He will find us for sure and that will only evoke his wrath even further. He will show no mercy should we choose to run away. Besides, where would we go?' The villagers knew this was true. They came to the sage for everything because of his wisdom. He knew much more than they and he had power the likes of which they had never seen before. At any rate, this village was their home. They could not leave, even if they wanted to. The sage would find them if they tried and punish them harshly.

"The elder of the village saw the trembling children sensing that something was amiss and wanted to put their minds at ease. 'What does it matter what we do from here? The sage will return and have us all punished. He will still have us bow to him as he does every time he leaves. I say we have fun until his return. We do not have to fear him when he is not here.' The villagers seemed encouraged by his words and knew they had to spend this day as if it were their last. They should spend this time happily. 'Women, prepare a feast, and children fetch your kites and favorite toys, men grab your music. Let us have fun this day.' The villagers did as told and began to celebrate with wonderful music, a large feast and colorful kites. Their party went on for hours. As the sky began to darken and a fog arose, the party reached its end. The food was gone and the music stopped. The children tried to wined their kites but the string would not bend nor move. The strings were stuck straight out like a long pole. They could not bring the kites in. The elder spoke again. 'Cut the lines. Let them fly. We may never be able to play with them again after this day.' The children cut the lines and the kites flew high over the village and disappeared into the fog. Fearing a storm was on its way, the villagers returned to their houses to await the sage's return.

"The next morning, the villagers awoke to silence. They could not hear the sage's carriage wheels on the street nor the horse's hooves on the dirt nor the sage's loud angry voice calling them to accept their fate. All was quiet. Then birds began to chirp and the sun shone into the wooden homes. The villagers bravely stepped outside. Soon, the village was filled with confused murmurs of the tiptoeing villagers. Their village was completely surrounded by trees. This was odd. The village rested on an open field, the trees far away from their homes. A river trickled by which was also odd. That river wasn't there before this morning. What was going on? The children pointed, calling for attention. The adults came running and saw the colorful kites they had released last night. They were attached to the corners of the buildings now dangling lifelessly, their tails tangled to the shingles. 'The kites!' a boy yelled. 'They've brought us here! They flew the whole village to this place'. It was then that the people knew what had happened. When they released the kites, they carried their heart's desire to be safe from the sage's wrath. And so the kites carried the entire village to this new location, far, far away from the sage and his cruel punishment."

As the old woman finished, the children let out breathless sighs of relief and wonder. Even Naruto had been holding his breath without realizing it. That was an amazing story. The kites flew an entire village in the dead of night so the sage wouldn't find them. The people were safe and didn't have to worry about him finding them.

"Tell another! Tell another!" the children chirped like eager chicks.

The old woman stood up shakily and shook her head in refusal. "No, no. You know my rule about no more than three stories a day. You'll have to wait another time."

The children and Naruto groaned in disappointment.

"Now, now. It's dinner time. I have to prepare food for myself and your parents must be waiting for you at home. Better hurry up before it gets cold."

Naruto looked at the sky. It was already sunset. How could he have not noticed? He was so wrapped up in the story he must have not seen the darkening sky. Listening to stories really did pass the time.

* * *

Everything was set up as before with minor differences. Instead of everyone being spread out over the village, the group was set up in front of the village in a straight line. They looked like a human fence by the village entrance, standing as still as the lion statues outside the inn. Sai had even nodded to them as if saying 'good-bye' as he left the building. Naruto wasn't sure if Sai was teasing him about the other day or not but seeing Sai doing that every time was getting on his nerves.

Sai had been acting pretty strange lately. Even Naruto had noticed. When he wasn't bowing to statues, he was sitting silently by the window looking outside. Now that they were outside, Sai couldn't take his eyes off the stars. He stood perfectly still with his neck bent back, head turned straight up at the sky. He never said a word and never looked away even as Neji spoke to them about what needed to be done tonight.

"Remember, we need to follow them out of the village tonight. Try to engage them if you can, but do not leave this spot. They always enter and leave in the same direction. If we stay here, we should be able to keep up when they retreat."

Naruto still wasn't convinced that these people weren't ghosts, but his team put up a valid argument. At this point, he didn't care. He was just happy to see some action. Wandering the village all day was so boring.

Slowly, the shadowy figures emerged from the woods on the other side of the river and came towards them. They jumped across the narrow river and landed on the other side, getting closer and closer to the group.

Sai looked away from the sky and at the figures approaching them without a sound.

Sakura and Neji were already prepared for an attack, even if it was useless. Naruto decided to do the same. He wasn't going to stand here all night and do nothing. He summoned a clone and together they formed their attack. The clone's job done, he vanished leaving the rest to Naruto. He took aim at one of the figures coming straight at him. "Rasen-"

"No!" Sai launched himself straight at Naruto and knocked him down. He had Naruto pinned. The Rasengan disappeared and the dark figure moved on.

Naruto struggled against Sai's grip. "Sai! Get off me! What's the hell's wrong with you?"

"White tiger."

"Huh?" This was the first time Naruto had heard him speak all day and it made no sense to him whatsoever.

Sai's eyes darted from Sakura and then to Neji. Sai jumped off Naruto and tackled Neji to the ground, pinning him just as he tried to attack one of the figures.

"Sai, get off me! Stop it!"

"What's wrong with you? Get off Neji!"

The shadow figures started to turn and go back the way they came. Neji struggled to get up but Sai wouldn't let him. Even Sakura couldn't pry him loose.

"Sakura, Naruto!" Neji yelled, pushing Sai away. "Go after them! See where they're headed."

"Right. Come on, Naruto."

Again they didn't get far. Sai threw himself at Sakura and held her down. Every time someone made for the woods, he would stop them.

By the time Sai gave up and released them, the last of the dark figures had vanished into the woods. It would be another twenty-four hours before they returned again.

Full of rage, Sakura kicked out at Sai while Naruto and Neji held her arms back to keep her from strangling him. "Sai, what the hell is the matter with you?! We waited all day long for them to come back and then you just let them go like that?! And attacking us on top of it! Have you forgotten the mission? Do you want us to fail? I should kick your ass right here!"

Despite Sakura's harsh words and loud tone, Sai's expression did not change. Most of the time he looked indifferent whenever something was happening around him, sometimes even looking a little confused when Sakura's temper boiled over. This time, his expression was completely different. He didn't looked confused or scared or indifferent. He looked empty. As if he had no emotions to express. No, that wasn't it. Naruto couldn't read that expression. It was different from anything he had ever seen Sai show before. A look of pity mixed with a firm resolve and relief. It was almost as if he was happy he stopped them from following those people back into the woods and glad that he didn't have to hurt anyone while doing it. But there was a glimmer of sadness in his eyes. It was almost pitiful.

Unconcerned with Sakura's violent thrashing, Sai looked away into the woods. From there, he returned his gaze to the sky.

"I think something may be wrong with him," Neji spoke calmly with with enough worry in his tone to make Sakura give up on trying to murder her teammate. She saw the odd expression on Sai's face and grew just as concerned.

"Sai? Are you ok?"

Sai kept his eyes on the sky and spoke softly. "White tiger."

"What..?"

Sai looked away from the sky, tilting his head to one side to look at them out of the corner of his eye. He repeated those words again a little louder than before but softly enough to have been whispered from within a dream. "White tiger."

* * *

Well, at least he spoke.

Please review! ^-^


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**:

Something was definitely wrong with Sai. After the incident outside, Sai hadn't spoken to them again and remained mute, even when they asked him questions. Deeply concerned, Sakura ran a battery of tests on him when they returned to the inn to see what the problem was. Sai remained quiet and still while she examined him from top to bottom. Naruto and Neji stood near the wall watching and hoping for results. At this point, they were hoping for something that wasn't too serious. Sakura lay her hands on Sai's body and they began to glow a faint green color, performing medical ninjutsu. Sai didn't seem bothered by anything she did and remained still through all the tests. Even without having to be told, Sai seemed to know what to do when Sakura approached him with different tools. However, he never spoke even when asked. She tested his reflexes, his blood-pressure, felt his bones and a number of things Naruto couldn't tell what she was testing for.

At last, she was finished and came over to speak to them. The look on her face told them it wasn't good news.

"Well?" Neji prompted.

"I have no idea."

Both were stunned. "What do you mean?"

"I- I can't find anything wrong with him. He's not even running a fever." Sakura was just as confused as they were. She threw up her hands in a shrug. "I've checked everything. His vitals are normal, his breathing is correct and his reflexes are good. There are no signs of a concussion either. His pupils are normal, his balance is good, no clotting, no bumps. He's fine."

"He can't be fine. There's obviously something wrong with him."

"I know, but according to all the tests, he's in perfect health. There's nothing medically wrong with him. I was so sure he may have sustained a concussion of some sort but..."

"There must be another explanation for his behavior,"Neji muttered almost to himself. He kept looking over Sakura's shoulder at Sai who had not moved from his chair even after Sakura had left. "He didn't start acting this way until recently."

"Yeah, not since he came out of that cave."

Sakura and Neji turned to Naruto. "What cave?"

"Uh... well, there was this cave that night we went looking for those guys. You know, yesterday. Anyway, he said he'd look in that cave and he did and after that he didn't talk anymore and he was acting weirder than normal."

"Was that the one we found you in front of when we met up?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Was there anything in it?"

"No, not really. Just a lot of dark. There was no one inside and it was small and only one way in and out. I found Sai in there and he didn't say anything even when I asked him stuff."

Neji and Sakura exchanged looks. "Maybe this isn't a physical issue. Perhaps it borders on the psychological."

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe he's in a state of shock from witnessing some sort of trauma. Although, what could he have witnessed to do this to him? He was in Anbu after all. They see horrors all the time. What could have spooked him into this state?"

A horrible thought occurred to Naruto. "Oh! Oh! I think I know what's wrong with him! What if this isn't Sai at all but a clone sent in his place?"

Sakura shook her head. "I tested him myself. That's definitely Sai. Not an imposter."

"Besides, we would have noticed if he had been replaced by someone. His chakra's normal, his signature, everything. That is Sai."

"Ok, but what if it's like the Mind Transfer Jutsu like what Ino uses and someone else is using his body with their mind in his place? What about that?"

Sakura shook her head again. "No. Ino tells me how her jutsu works. She complains about it often to me. She cannot maintain it for very long, and we're talking hours here, before she runs out of chakra to keep it up. Besides her body's in danger and anything that happens to the body she's in happens to her real body, too. Besides, a person's will can force them out of the body. Like when she used it on me during the exams. And Sai's been trained to avoid such techniques. He wouldn't be taken over at easily. He would have sensed it coming anyway."

"His chakra is normal like I said," Neji added. "That is Sai. He may not be in his right mind, but no one else's mind has taken over his."

"So your Byakugan can see that, too?"

Neji didn't answer him. "I don't think this is someone's doing. I think it may be trauma. Even if someone were to be using his body or replace him in any way, they wouldn't be able to keep it up for this long. It's been at least twenty-four hours since then. A powerful technique like that requires a lot of chakra. By now they would be running on empty, no matter how powerful they are."

"Or! Or..." Naruto started. "There's another possibility. Maybe it's not a jutsu. Maybe he's been replaced... but with an alien pod."

Sakura punched him so hard, Naruto's shoulder nearly shattered. "That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard! Really, Naruto? Aliens? How stupid can you be?"

"What? It's an idea."

"A stupid impossible one!"

Neji cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "We need to discuss what to do with Sai from this point. He'll hinder the mission. You all witnessed what he had done. He stopped us."

"So you think we should send him home? We have to take him back to the village?"

Neji was silent, thinking. "Well... No. At least not right now. It took us two days to reach this village and we're pretty committed right now. We've already begun and they clearly need our help. Sai cannot make it to the village on his own so we would have to take him, which would mean giving up on the mission. We cannot do that since we're already invested. Besides, it's not like Sai tried to hurt us. Just stop us from continuing. He doesn't seem to be dangerous."

"So what are you thinking?"

"I think he should stay here. He'll take no further part of this mission. That way he won't get in our way and hinder us. We'll take him back to the village when we're done here so he can get help from a professional."

"So a shrink?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. But if he's proven dangerous, which means acting hostile towards any of the villagers or is a threat to us or the mission, we take him home at once."

"So if he gets worse, we abandon the mission?" Sakura sounded disappointed. Was Neji really going to retreat? He always sees things through to the end.

"Only as a last resort. If he shows any hostility or attacks anyone in the village, Sakura I want you to sedate him and we'll tie him up and decide from there what to do with him."

"Sounds like a plan."

So far, Sai didn't appear violent. Just a little dazed. Naruto didn't think it would come to that, but anything could happen.

It was already very late so everyone decided to go to bed and hope for the best. Sakura said it was possible for Sai to show improvement by morning, but there was still no guarantee. She retired to her room next-door while the boys went to their individual beds for the night. Sai went straight to his without having to be told and settled down. Naruto laid down in his bed between Sai and Neji. Sai faced the wall so he couldn't see the two giving him worried looks.

* * *

Unfortunately, Sai was not better by morning. He showed no improvement but he wasn't any worse either. They decided to count their blessings and move on with the mission. They had all day to waste coming up with a strategy so the morning was pretty laid-back. Sai still wasn't saying anything, but at least he was eating. Just like the day before, he had one small bowl of rice and nothing else. When he was finished, he left the table and sat by the window, looking outside.

Naruto leaned across the table to whisper to Neji who was still in the middle of his breakfast. "I'd like to revisit my alien pod theory."

"For the last time, come up with a more believable theory than that. That's ridiculous."

"How do you figure? We already know a jutsu didn't do this to him, so what else could it possibly be?"

"Trauma like we said last night?"

"I still say he was replaced or something. He's not normal. He never was, but still..."

Neji looked down at his meal, ignoring him.

"Come on! What could have spooked Sai so bad he became this?" Naruto pointed a finger at Sai who smiled back at him as if Naruto had just paid him a complement.

Neji set his bowl down with a frustrated sigh. "Naruto... we are not going to revisit this issue again unless we have some solid proof one way or another. So far, trauma fits best. Now will you please?"

Naruto sat back down, pouting. Everyone knew there was something wrong with Sai but no one was sure what that was. They were making guesses. Naruto was sure it wasn't trauma but he had nothing to prove otherwise.

With so much time on their hands before that evening, Neji allowed them to do as they wished. Naruto was thankful that Neji was being so lenient and didn't give them any assignments. But without anything to do, Naruto was instantly bored. Sakura was going through her medical supplies in her room while Neji meditated in their shared room. Sai sat in the wooden chair by the window, not doing anything. Left to his own devices, Naruto decided to wander around outside. With any luck, he would find the old woman again and hear some more stories.

Sadly, she wasn't around. Disappointed, Naruto circled the village once, hoping to find something interesting. The village was large enough to pass as a small town, but there weren't any shops or restaurants. It made him wonder why there was an inn in a place like this. As long as he had a warm place to sleep at night, he didn't bother questioning it.

Perhaps some training would pass the time. Naruto didn't really feel like doing that. The thought of training bored him. "I'm so bored, I don't want to do anything. I hate that feeling." It made him feel lazy. He didn't want to do any training in this heat away. It was unusually hot, the sun blazing down on the top of his yellow head. It felt like summer. No wonder the ground was so dry and cooked. This heatwave and the absence of rain wasn't good for the land. Naruto unzipped the top of his jacket to cool down. It was the sun that made everything feel hot.

Something caught his eye. Three children came like flashes of brown and blue from the street to the side of where Naruto stood and gathered in another street. Intrigued, Naruto followed them. It was the same group of children who gathered for story-time everyday. Several were missing, but these were the children alright. They were huddled together in a circle bent over something on the ground. They would murmur and giggle and every now and again flinch or spring back exclaiming. Naruto couldn't see what they were looking at but it caught Naruto's interest.

"Hey, you guys."

The children quieted and looked up, still huddled close together.

"What are you looking at?"

Like a blooming flower, they spread apart, leaning away to reveal...

A toad.

Naruto blinked. This is what was so exciting. He figured that these children weren't used to seeing toads, unlike Naruto, so they found this small creature very interesting. One of the boys reached out and poked the toad in the back and it sprang forward causing the children to flinch in surprise and then laugh. Naruto began to smile. This looked like fun. They took turns poking the toad or slapping the ground right behind it to make it jump. The toad would jump a few inches or a whole two feet depending on its whim. It didn't seem so much frightened as it was bothered. Some children grew bored and left while others stayed and watched.

"I wanna pick it up," said the boy in dark brown shorts and reached for the toad. It sprang into the air, escaping. It started to hop away down the road.

"I got it!" Naruto chased after the toad, hunched over with his arms held outstretched trying to catch it. The toad was surprisingly quick. The faster Naruto chased it, the quicker it hopped. Naruto didn't want to run too fast and step on it so he was always one step behind it.

The toad took Naruto back to the inn. Sakura opened the door as he was heading out which gave the toad the perfect opportunity to escape inside. Sakura jumped back seeing the toad hopping by her legs. Naruto followed soon after, still hunched. Knowing that he could summon toads, Sakura thought nothing of it and continued on her way. This seemed like normal behavior to her.

It was a lot cooler in the inn than it was outside in the sun. The toad must have been trying to find relief from the heat. It hopped into the next room where Sai was sitting. It landed on the wooden floor with a plop and croaked.

Sai looked up. He saw the toad on the ground and his face brightened.

The toad croaked again.

Naruto paused, watching.

Sai smiled brightly at the toad. "Rabbit!" He left his chair and bent down in front of the toad, smiling fondly at it as if greeting an old friend. The toad croaked a third time and Sai held out his hand, patting its head. "Rabbit."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh... Sai? That's a toad."

"Rabbit." He cupped his hands on the ground, laying them palm-up for the toad to climb on. The toad hopped into his hands. Sai lifted it up and held it close to his face, grinning. "Rabbit."

Naruto had no idea what was going on. Was this trauma or had Sai lost his mind? Then Naruto thought he had it figured out. "Oh, you mean the sound it's making?" Was Sai trying to imitate the toad? "N- no. They don't say 'rabbit', they say 'ribbit'. You know. Ribbit, ribbit."

"Rabbit."

"No, it's ribbit," Naruto corrected him. "Toads say 'ribbit'. Like this. Ribbit, ribbit."

"Rabbit."

"Ribbit. Ribbit."

"What are you doing?" The innkeeper had entered the room and had found Naruto imitating a toad.

Naruto felt a little embarrassed. Once again, Sai had made him look like a fool.

The innkeeper looked at Sai crouched on the floor holding a toad in his hands. "Oh, that thing again? Give it here." The innkeeper took the toad from Sai's hands and carried it to the door. Sai watched him with sad eyes as the man opened the front door and tossed the toad toward the river, hoping the toad would make it back to the water. There was no way he could throw the distance so he had to try to get the toad as close to the river as he could and hope for the best. Toads couldn't be that stupid. He closed the door and returned to work, wiping his hands off on his apron. "Sometimes we get toads in here. Usually it happens when we leave the door open on hot days and sometimes it's because the kids will bring them in."

"Oh." Naruto looked back at Sai who had returned to his seat and faced out the window again.

The innkeeper began to mop the floor with a small bucket of water.

"Do you do all the work by yourself?" Naruto asked. He was just making conversation.

"Most of the time, yes. Sometimes Nozomu helps me out but not very often. I run this place by myself. Sometimes by brother will help me out but again this place is mine so I should be the one doing the work."

Naruto watched him push the mop back and forth across the wooden floorboards. Now that the toad was gone and Sai was once again rendered mute; there was nothing else to do. He tried to think of a topic to pass the time but nothing came to mind. Thankfully, the innkeeper had come up with one for him.

"The wedding's supposed to take place in two days. We've finally settled on a date." He plunged the mop into the bucket and pushed it around the floor, spreading water everywhere. "The father wasn't sure, with her health and all and with these people showing up every night, but he finally settled on this. Everyone wants to help out his daughter. If she's in trouble, the village will come to her aid. She's a sweet girl and in poor health, so we do take pity on her. We want her to have a good wedding."

"Ok. But if she was so sick all this time, how did she meet this guy she's marrying?"

"Like I said, the village wants to help out the family. Haruki was one of the people who brought her food every once in a while. Then he started to do it everyday. He would stay and talk with her for hours and tell her stories that his grandmother brought him up on. They grew very close."

"Oh, cool." That explained a bit.

The innkeeper started to chuckle. "In fact, Haruki tells me he feels as if he's fallen in love with the Lady of the Moon."

"The what?"

"You've never heard that story? It's famous!" The innkeeper seemed more amused than irritated. As he mopped the floor, he explained and told Naruto all about her. "She's supposed to be this incredible spirit who lives on the moon. She takes on the form of a beautiful woman. Her skin's as pale as the moon itself and her hair as black as midnight. She's supposed to be so lovely that her image ensnares men."

"What do you mean?"

"Her beauty captivates men, drawing them near. Any men who attempt to follow her end up drowning."

"Why?"

"Let me back up." The innkeeper leaned against the mop as he explained. "The Lady of the Moon lives on the moon, right? Well, she's able to set foot on land, here on earth, once a month on the night of the full moon. When the moon is full, she's able to appear using the reflection of the moon in water. I'm sure you know that the water and moon are linked."

"Uh... sure. Yup. I know all about that," he lied.

"Anyway, she comes out the the reflected water and is able to speak with those who dwell on this land. Therefore, when men see her, they're captivated by her beauty and flock to her like a moth to flame. She cannot stay for long. So when she leaves back the way she came through the water, the men attempt to follow her and end up drowning."

"If she ends up dragging men to their deaths... Wait a minute." Naruto tried to make sense of this. "Why would she come here? Only to have men kill themselves?"

"No, that's not her intention. She's actually very loving. She can't help this. It's like a curse. But she comes upon the land mostly to help keep balance. She's able to talk to spirits, being one herself. Even if it's male, spirits and beasts are not captivated by her image so they are protected. She's the one who managed to keep order between the tiger and dragon. Before her, they fought often, unable to settle who lived where and who should have the power. Which is why the tiger and dragon are separated. The tiger lives on the land and the dragon lives in the sky."

"Oh, like what you guys were saying before. I get it."

The innkeeper pushed the mop across the floor. "She knew that no one should hold all the power, so she split it between them. Which is why there's balance when the tiger roars and when it rains. Before this, the land was flooded with water because there was no one to control when the dragon made it rain. The Lady of the Moon is all about balance. Which also deals with the moon phases. When the moon is full, she appears on land, so she can speak to the tiger if need be. On the night of the new moon when the moon is dark in the sky, she visits the dragon to make sure everything is going well. The dragons is too powerful to be allowed on land anymore, some people say. So some think he's lonely up there which is why she visits him. Others have different ideas, but this one's more common."

By the time he was finished mopping, the water in the bucket had turned brown and the floor was shining like polished wood.

"So she appears on earth on the night of the full moon using the moon's image in water so she can meet with people here and talk to them." Naruto gave an amused chuckle. "Next time she shows up, why don't you ask her how you can make it rain here?"

"I'd love to," the innkeeper laughed. "But I'd be too afraid of drowning."

* * *

Please review ^-^


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The village was bustling with excitement. It seemed everyone was getting ready for the wedding now that a date had been settled. It wasn't catered, but everyone was preparing a dish for the wedding. The entire village was invited, of course. Haruki was running around the village, meeting with different people and picking up things. The one doing the least amount of work was the bride, Ayaka. Her father and husband-to-be seemed to want her to rest as much as possible for her big day. Though she looked frail, she appeared to be capable do doing more than they thought. When they weren't looking, she helped carry things to and from the house. Her slender body seemed to grant her a fair amount of speed. Naruto had never seen someone who was supposed to be sick move so quickly. It was her wedding so she was going to help out even if no one wanted her to.

To pass the time, Sakura was helping with the preparations. Ayaka was making her own wedding dress with the help of the old woman who told stories. So this was why she wasn't around when Naruto had been looking for her. Sakura decided to help them with the dress. It was nearly finished and looking beautiful. Naruto hadn't seen it yet and had little interest. Sometimes Naruto wondered if Sakura was so eager to help out because she was fantasizing about her own wedding day. So far Sakura wasn't taking over so he decided not to bring it up.

Neji kept to himself most of the time, but had recently come out to speak with the villagers while lending a hand as they worked. With the wedding two days away, everyone was in a rush to do different things. Neji spent a lot of time around Haruki when he could, getting to know him better. It wasn't friendship he was after, just answers to his many questions.

Naruto looked back at the inn and saw Sai from the window watching them work. He knew everyone wanted him to not take further part in this mission, but Naruto found it really unfair that they had to work while he sat around and did nothing. Tired of this, Naruto marched straight back to the inn.

There were the stone lions, frozen in mid-roar watching him. He stuck out his tongue at them. "What are you looking at?" He flicked one of them on the ear and opened the door.

Once inside, he went straight over to Sai and stood in front of his chair. Though his body was facing him, his head was turned to the side, watching everyone set up through the window. He didn't move or acknowledge him in the slightest.

"Ahem. Sai."

As usual, he didn't answer.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "At least draw something. You sitting there doing nothing is really bugging me."

Sai was like a statue. He didn't move. Naruto could barely tell he was breathing.

"Say something!"

He didn't. It was as if he was deaf and hadn't heard his command.

"Aurgh!" Naruto started pulling his blond hair. He was about ready to punch Sai in the face. "I've had enough! This is ridiculous! What's gotten into you anyway?!"

"White tiger."

Naruto stopped his tantrum and looked back. "What did you say?"

Sai didn't respond. He was looking at something behind him. Naruto turned around and saw the boy with torn pants he now knew to be Nozomu.

"Is my uncle here?" he asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seem him around."

Nozomu looked away, scanning the room with his eyes. He stopped when he saw Sai staring at him. "That guy's really pale."

"I know."

"He's as white as a ghost. Or a tiger."

"White tiger," Sai said.

"He's always like that," Naruto pointed out. "I guess he doesn't tan well."

"White tiger," Sai repeated like a parrot. "White tiger."

"Say something other than that, Sai. You're pissing me off even more. I don't know what's more annoying."

Nozomu wrinkled his nose. "He's weird."

"Tell me about it."

"If only he had stripes, he would pass for a white tiger, though. Like he said. Does he ever say anything else?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not lately."

Nozomu stared at Sai for a long time as if deciding something. "Why's he so weird?"

"I don't know. Everyone's got a theory."

Sai smiled at the two of them as if being paid a compliment.

The small boy started to wander around the inn, looking at different things. "Did you guys eat lunch yet?" he asked.

"A little while ago. Why?"

Without a word, Nozomu moved to the back room and out of sight. Naruto followed after him.

The back room was a kitchen. This was where all the food was prepared and stored. The counters were clean and everything was put away. Even the sink had been cleared, all the dishes washed and dried. There was a pad of paper mounted on the wall by a cutting board. Naruto flipped through it quickly. It was a list of different dishes to be served at different times. This must have been how the innkeeper sorted out all of their meals.

Naruto turned around and moved behind a large pile of crates. On the other side, he found Nozomu digging through a barrel of trash, pulling out various items. Most of them bones and anything with stripes on it. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Stop digging through the trash. You'll get germs on you."

"So? I'll wash my hands."

Naruto didn't know how to handle kids, even if he was a big one himself and spent a lot of time around children who were younger than he was. The only thing he could think of was pick him up and pull him out of there himself. Then again, was this boy really doing anything? He was just an annoyance, but he wasn't hurting anything. Why bother stopping him? Let him dig through the trash if he wanted.

Nozomu pulled out several different things and carried them out of the kitchen. Naruto knew he was going to throw all that stuff down the well and saw no reason to stop him. He heard the boy leave the room and run for the door but stopped suddenly. Thinking he was hurt, Naruto went after him. He found Nozomu and his uncle standing toe-to-toe with each other.

The innkeeper looked annoyed. "Nozomu... This has to end. You can't keep doing this. Stop throwing things down the well. Soon that well's going to overflow with junk. Obviously, it's not working."

"Maybe this time it will."

"Nozomu..." the innkeeper rubbed the back of his neck and bent down to be at eye-level with the boy. "I've spoken to your father. He's fed up with this as well. He wants you to stop as well. Please?"

He shook his head quickly from side to side. "Maybe one of these things will work! It'll rain! I know it will. It's probably really hot because the dragon's fire is..."

"Please, Nozomu. Enough's enough. I don't want you to get in trouble, ok? Your father seems really upset that you're doing this. You're even refusing to eat so you can throw your food down the well. It's not doing anybody any good down there. You must eat and you must stop wasting."

"Not if it's in the garbage. No one wants it then anyways, so what's the problem?"

"I just don't want your father to get mad at you so I'm asking you nicely to please stop before you get in trouble. I know you're trying to help, but it's not working and your dad might punish you. Do you want that?"

The boy sigh, casting his eyes down. "No..."

"Ok. So let this be the last time, ok? Promise me?"

"I promise."

"Good." The innkeeper patted his head which he accepted with a pout. As soon as the hand left his head, Nozomu ran out the front door, still carrying the objects he retrieved from the trash.

Naruto watched as the boy left without a word. The innkeeper shook his head sadly. Sai watched them from his chair completely mute.

* * *

Even though the wedding was two days away, the villagers spent most of the afternoon setting up. Naruto didn't want to help anymore, wondering why they were setting up so early. "Don't people do this stuff the day of? Are they going all out or something?"

"Naruto, if you wait until the last minute, everyone's rushing around and there will be mistakes you cannot fix. That's why everyone's starting early," Sakura explained. "And two days is not that early."

"Yeah, but still. Why all the fuss?" He had never been to a real wedding before and had certainly never had one, but it seemed very stressful. A lot of work was going into this.

"The villagers all care about this girl who's getting married. She's been sick for a long time. They want her to have the best time of her life." Sakura set some boxes of decorations on the table. "My wedding is going to be beautiful. There will be white doves and flowers everywhere, overlooking the ocean at sunset. Or maybe in the spring when the blossoms are blooming and as soon as we kiss, the petals will swirl around us like a twister and there will be fireworks in all different colors."

"So... as soon as 'we' kiss, huh?" Naruto leaned closer to her, puckering his lips.

"Don't be stupid. I didn't mean _us_. I meant me and the handsome man I'll marry. Not you, of course."

"You don't think I'm handsome?"

Sakura scoffed. "Of course not!"

Naruto hung his head, whining like a spoiled child. He tried to cheer himself up. "I'm not handsome? Me? Well... that's ok. I can live with that. At least my sexy jutsu is pretty awesome. I make a pretty hot girl. Yeah, that's right. I've caused more nosebleeds than Sakura. Guess that makes me better looking than her."

Sakura's fist sent him flying over a roof and into the next street. Neji, who was helping a woman carry a few boxes looked down at Naruto's twisted body on the ground. "What did you say?" he asked with a sigh.

"Nothing." Naruto brushed himself off, holding his cheek in his other hand. "Ow... I just said I'd make a better-looking girl than Sakura."

"Ah. Enough said."

"So you agree?"

"That you're an idiot to say such a thing within earshot of her? Yes."

Naruto pouted again. Even Neji was taking her side. This wasn't fair. He looked over his shoulder at the inn. Sai was still looking out the window watching them work while he still did nothing. As soon as their eyes met, Sai smiled at him. "Is he teasing me now?" Naruto turned away and stormed off. "This isn't fair! I get yelled at, I get punched, I do all this work, I wait around... Why am I the one being punished like this? What have I done wrong?"

With nothing to do until this evening, Neji and Sakura saw no reason not to help out in order to pass the time between now and then. Naruto didn't want to help set up. He'd rather be bored and do nothing. He hoped there would be more action tonight and he could unleash his aggression on someone. He wanted so much to punch someone right now. He was angry that Sai was behaving strangely and got to sit around doing nothing while everyone worked under the hot sun. He was angry that Neji was giving him orders and restrictions and taking Sakura's side and just being his usual self in general. He was angry that there was nothing to do but work. And now he was angry that there was a drought. The hot sun must have been putting everyone in a mood, including himself. If only it would rain and cool everyone off.

"Whoa, hey!"

"Huh?" Naruto jerked up. He was so deep in thought, he hadn't seen the groom, Haruki, coming his way carrying a stack of boxes and clothes. "Oh, sorry."

"It's fine. I can't really see much with all this stuff in my arms." His pile towered over his head and teetered from side to side as he moved. Even as the hot sun burned the back of his neck and shoulders, Haruki's mood didn't seem dampen at all. He was still smiling like a child receiving a gift.

Since Haruki seemed to be in a permanently good mood, Naruto decided to hang around him for a little while. Perhaps some of it would rub off on him and brighten his spirits. "Let me help you with some of that stuff." Naruto took half of his load into his arms and walked beside him. "What's this stuff anyway?"

"Just some more things for our room."

Which meant they were heading back to the inn where Sai was sure to be. Naruto tried not to groan. At least they would be out of the sun.

Haruki started to chuckle. "I'm so excited. Just two days! We'll be married in two days. I can't stop smiling."

"I got a question for you." Naruto adjusted the box in his arms so he wouldn't drop anything. "If she's been so sick to the point where she could never leave the house, how'd you two meet?"

"Good question." Haruki's smiled didn't fade for a moment. If anything it grew wider. "You can thank my mom for it actually. She's the reason we met in the first place. You see, while her dad was working and all, Ayaka had no one to take care of her or keep her company. So people in the village would stop by as a favor to him. The dad, I mean. My mom would make her meals and take them over to her. One day, my mom couldn't do it and asked me to in her place. I didn't want to go over, but I did my mom a favor. Ayaka was so weak and frail, she needed help eating. So I stayed with her and helped out. We talked and before I knew it, I was coming over there willingly for the next few days. Then every week! I realized I had feelings for her and couldn't stay away. I wanted to help her. I wanted to make her happy. I'm sure she was sad being in that room for years unable to come out. So I'm over the moon that she's been able to leave her house recently. I'm so happy for her! So I want this wedding to be perfect for her. I want it to be the best day of her life."

"Oh. Ok."

Haruki started to laugh again. "I'm sure you feel the same way about that pink-haired girl, don't you?"

Naruto almost dropped the box. "What?!"

"Was it a secret? Sorry. It's just... the way you look at her and how you reacted when I complemented her... Well, I can relate."

"Then how do you get the one you care about to notice you?" At the very least, Naruto could get some advice out of this guy. He was getting married so he must have known his stuff.

"Just be there for her," he told him. "For me, it wasn't love at first sight. She grew on me over time and that's when I fell in love with her. I got to know her. It should be the same for your girl, too. Just having you there is a big help. I'm sure she'll notice you. Be yourself and be kind and treat her well and she'll come around. I think that's a stronger kind of love than love at first sight. You know them rather than just seeing them on the outside. I'm not saying it can't happen. Just that it's a little bit stronger."

"Just be by her side, huh?" Naruto had been doing that for ages and she was still trailing after Sasuke, even when he was no longer around. Eventually she would come around and choose him instead of Sasuke because he was there for her and Sasuke wasn't. Was that what Haruki was saying?

They made it to the inn. Haruki balanced his load on his knee while he opened the door. He stepped inside first and Naruto followed, kicking the door closed with his foot. Haruki set the boxes down on the front desk and started to pull out different items. One of which was a glass ornament of a tiger. It stood on all fours looking up with its ghostly clear eyes staring at nothing.

"Sure are a lot of tiger things in this village, huh?" Naruto said as he set down his box next to the others. "There's that dragon and tiger story, and that kid who collects..."

Haruki laughed again. "Well, the story of the white tiger is famous in this village. My grandma told me about it when I was a little kid. I thought it was really cool."

"White tiger, huh?" Naruto frown. Why did that sound familiar to him? He looked into the next room and saw Sai sitting in his chair as still as could be. That's right. Sai had been repeating the phrase 'white tiger' for some time now. Naruto wondered why. Maybe hearing the story would make things clearer. "So how's that story go?"

"Let's see..." Haruki started. "A long, long time ago, there was a white tiger who lived near a village. Everyone feared the white tiger because it would attack and drag animals away on a whim. Unprovoked, the white tiger would go after innocent people and kill livestock. The people of the village were afraid to leave their homes. It was only a matter of time before the white tiger killed a human being. There were a few close calls already. So the villagers decided to try bribing the white tiger by feeding it, but that settled nothing. The white tiger didn't kill for food but for fun. It was on a whim and little else."

"Why didn't they just kill it?" Naruto interrupted.

"No one was a match for it. Anyone who bothered to try never managed to scratch it. The villagers had heard of a sage who was supposed to be very wise, but no one knew where he was. He would stop by every now and again to share his wisdom with everyone. But it always came at a price. The harder the puzzle, the more money it would cost them. Unable to wait, the villagers decided to handle this themselves. A villager insisted that they sacrifice an animal to the tiger. No one thought it would work since their other bribes had failed, but this man insisted it would work because it wasn't a bribe. His child had a pet rabbit he kept in his room. The man took the baby rabbit, put it in a wicker basket and brought it to the tiger's cave. The tiger lived in a cave just outside the village on the other side of a river. He set the basket down and hid behind a tree and waited for the tiger. When the white tiger came out and saw the baby rabbit, it raised its claws to attack. The tiny ball of white fluff stared at the white tiger with large eyes, making no sound. The white tiger slowly lowered its paw and crept closer to the baby rabbit. Still, the rabbit made no sound. Only it's tiny nose twitched. The white tiger sniffed its white fur and licked the top of the rabbit's head. Then, the white tiger scooped up the baby rabbit, basket and all, and took it into the cave with him. After that the white tiger never attacked the village again."

"All because of a white rabbit? Why?" Naruto couldn't understand why the white tiger would stop bothering the village over a tiny rabbit.

"Why knows? Maybe the tiger had to see something so tiny and helpless and frail to know how to show kindness. Maybe it never knew how to be gentle before. After all, the villagers never tried being nice to the white tiger and only showed it hostility and tried attacking it."

"Yeah, because the white tiger attacked them first."

"The story never says who attacked who first. Since the rabbit couldn't harm anything, maybe it stood a chance at changing the white tiger's heart. Or who knows? Maybe it just liked white things." Haruki went back to unpacking the boxes. He turned around, holding up two different colored clothes. "Which one? The pink or the yellow?"

* * *

Please review! Thank you ^-^


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Night was approaching. Naruto couldn't wait. He was tired of helping out with the wedding arrangements and hanging around waiting for nightfall. The old woman who told stories wasn't around anymore, most likely too busy helping out for the wedding to entertain the children.

Naruto stood by the river staring at the sky. In just a few hours the sun would go down and then they could see some action. Hopefully. He looked back at the inn where Sai still sat alone. The window he constantly sat by wasn't facing this direction so Naruto couldn't see him. But he knew he was there. "Maybe when this mission is over and we go home, he'll be better." Sai was still acting strangely and no one knew why. All they had were guesses.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted from behind him. She stomped over to where he sat in the dead grass and pulled him to his feet. "There you are! Get over here and help! Neji and I are breaking our backs here and you're just sitting around doing nothing!"

"I wasn't doing nothing! I was keeping watch."

"Sure you were. Now come here." Sakura dragged him over to the busy street and handed him a box. "These have decorations. Take these over there so they can be hung up."

"You know, if I use my Shadow Clones this wouldn't take so long."

"Then why don't you?"

Naruto pouted. "Because I don't know what I'm supposed to do... You keep telling me I'm doing it wrong and I don't know a thing about weddings..."

"Then don't complain, stop saying stupid things and do as you're told."

Naruto took the box over to a man on a ladder who started to hang them up. Naruto started to walk away when he heard arguing. The people in this village seemed to get along better than most so Naruto was curious who could have been bickering.

There were two people in the street pointing in different directions. One was a woman and the other was a man. The argument seemed to be over where the lanterns should be strung. Neither could agree. They also seemed to be arguing about something else but Naruto couldn't make it out. It wasn't a very loud argument.

A hand came down on Naruto's shoulder. It was Haruki again. "Hello, Naruto. I see you've met my mother."

Naruto pointed to the woman. "That's your mother?"

"Yeah," he sighed sadly. "They never really got along but lately it's been much worse."

"Why?"

Haruki gestured to his mother. "Because of her bracelet. It was a gift from my father for twenty years of marriage. She never takes it off. Except for when she's cooking or bathing. One day she went across the street to her friend's house to make lunch and her bracelet went missing. We've been looking for it ever since."

"So what's that got to do with this guy?" Naruto pointed to the man who was arguing with her.

"That man happens to be my mom's best friend's husband. It was his house the bracelet went missing in so naturally we think he's to blame."

"Did he do it?"

"He keeps denying it so we don't know. It's been missing for weeks."

The two ended their dispute and went to opposite sides of the street. Haruki sighed and went after his mother. Though Naruto didn't realize it at the time, inside he knew that Haruki was possibly the busiest person in the village so Naruto had no right to complain about being a little bored and having to carry decorations.

Before he could move off in another direction, Sakura appeared behind him and started to push him off toward the farm. "Hurry up. We have to check in with the farmer up there."

"We do? Why?"

Sakura never explained but she didn't have to. Once they got up there, the farmer knew exactly why they were there. He told Sakura everything she was sent to find out. The farmer was one of the caterers for the wedding apparently.

Once again, Naruto found himself incredibly bored and wanted to bang his head against the ground. He looked around at all the surrounding plants and started thinking. As long as Sakura had her back turned, maybe he could sample a little of the food growing around him. He could use a snack. But as he reached down, he discovered that he wasn't the only one with the same idea. A white rabbit was already nibbling on some of the green plants.

The rabbit's lunch was cut short when the farmer caught sight of it. "Shoo! Shoo! Scat!" The rabbit took off behind the barn.

Sakura watched the rabbit go with sad eyes. "Aw, it was cute."

"They may be cute, but I can't have them eating my crops." The farmer examined the damage done to his cabbage.

"At least it was a rabbit. I saw a toad in the village earlier," said Naruto.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I'd much rather have a rabbit in my garden than some slimy toad."

The farmer looked up at them, smiling. "Ah, but they are one in the same. Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"The story of the Jade Rabbit." The farmer began to tell them the story. "For many years, the white tiger and rabbit lived together. The tiger was very protective of the rabbit since it was unable to defend itself. One day, his beloved rabbit friend became very ill. The tiger could not help the rabbit so he was forced to leave its cave and head toward the village for help. The villagers, knowing what the white tiger was like, attacked him at once. Even when the tiger posed no threat, the people knew it was dangerous and chased it away.

"Unable to find help in that village, the white tiger went in search of another village. Sadly, there were no other villages nearby and time was running out. The rabbit grew weaker and thinner. The white tiger was determined to save his friend but could do nothing.

"Then, on the night of the full moon, the white tiger was visited by the Lady of the Moon. He begged the Lady of the Moon to help the rabbit. She looked the rabbit over and told him sadly, 'The rabbit will die. It is too weak and will not survive.' The white tiger pleaded for her aid, knowing she was the rabbit's only hope. After a long time, the Lady of the Moon said to him, 'There is one thing I can do to save its life.' She plucked something from inside her sleeve and gave it to the rabbit. "It is Mugwort. It will grant the rabbit immortality.'

"The Mugwort not only gave the rabbit immortality, but gave it back its strength as well. The rabbit became healthy again and its life was spared. However, the rabbit's body began to change and wrinkle. Instead of fur, the rabbit was now covered with warts and bumpy skin. The rabbit had been turned into a toad. It was the only way it could remain an immortal. Looking at the rabbit's grotesque appearance, the white tiger recoiled, convinced this was not his friend and prepared to attack. Then he stopped realizing it was still the rabbit, just in a different form. The white tiger picked up the toad and knew at once that it was still his beloved friend. Its appearance didn't matter so long as he was alive."

Sakura and Naruto listened to the whole story without interruption. When the farmer was finished, Sakura spoke. "So the rabbit was turned into a toad?"

"Yup," said the farmer, taking the eaten head of cabbage out of his field. "That's why they're both. Why do you think toads croak the way they do? They're sending a message to people that they were once a rabbit. They've been telling their story since the very beginning."

Naruto thought about it. The farmer was right. When they croaked, it sounded like they were saying 'ribbit' which sounded a lot like the word 'rabbit'. '

Sakura shook her head. "Funny, because I heard a different telling of that story. The Jade Rabbit lives on the moon, not with a white tiger. Are you sure that's the story?"

The farmer straightened up. "My dear girl, the story continues. After thanking the Lady of the Moon, the white tiger left with the rabbit. Though the rabbit would not die, its life was now in constant danger. News spread of the rabbit's immortality and many wanted that power. The white tiger and rabbit were hunted constantly. If the rabbit was ever captured, its captor would gain immortality as well. If the Mugwort were ever taken from the rabbit, it would become mortal again and die. That was the only thing keeping him alive. Knowing the rabbit's life was in constant danger, the white tiger returned to the Lady of the Moon pleading for her help again. If the rabbit remained with the white tiger it would continue to be hunted. The land was no longer safe. The Lady of the Moon offered the two a sad solution. 'If the rabbit comes with me, he'll be safe. He'll live on the moon, far from their reach.' The white tiger was happy to hear that his friend would be kept safe, but they would never see each other again. What a terrible price. But it was for the best. And so the white tiger willingly gave up his friend to the Lady of the Moon."

Naruto's hand popped into the air, gaining attention. "Question. Uh... so did the rabbit-toad change again? I mean, is it still a rabbit or is it a toad forever?"

"That is never explained. However, people assume both ways. It could be a toad still or it could have changed back into a rabbit."

"So it just lives there with that woman now on the moon?"

"She promised to keep the rabbit safe and care for it. And if the white tiger was good, he would be allowed to visit the rabbit," the farmer explained. "That's how the story goes at least."

Sakura nodded. "That sounds more like the one I've heard. But these are all myths. There's bound to be some variation."

Naruto looked between the farmer and Sakura and pouted. "Am I the only one who hasn't heard these stories before?"

* * *

Night fell over the village and the people returned to their homes. The shadow intruders would be showing up at any moment now. Everyone agreed that Sai should remain inside the inn and not be allowed to leave. He would only interfere with the mission like he did the night before. They only had a few minutes before the trespassers left and they couldn't afford to waste any time.

It was decided that things would go a little differently this night. "We'll allow them to enter and keep a close eye on them," explained Neji. "They always leave in the same direction so this time we'll follow them and see where they go."

"Didn't we try that the other night?" asked Naruto.

"This time we'll be prepared. Someone will stand by the forest in order to get a head start. As soon as they start to leave, we won't try to prevent it. We'll follow them as soon as they begin to move. Hopefully we'll find out where they're going and see who's behind all this."

And so they waited. Sure enough, the shadows appeared and flowed into the village like dark waves. Sakura stood at the opening of the forest to get a head start when they started to leave. Neji and Naruto remained in the village to watch the shadows. No one tried to stop them. Tonight they were quiet observers.

Still unnerved by the shadow figures, Naruto kept his distance while he watched them walk through the streets of the village. To amuse himself until they left, he flicked small stones at them and watched them pass through as if the figures were made of mist. The stones would get bigger as time went on. Now he was tossing ones the size of his fist at them. He started to dig in the dirt for more rocks to throw.

Neji called Naruto's name. He hurried back to the footbridge where Neji was waiting. "Get ready, Naruto. They should be leaving in just a few moments."

Naruto nodded, still carrying a large rock in his hands the size of a bowling ball. He wanted to see what would happen if he dropped it on one of their heads but Neji called him away before he could.

The shadows started to turn and head back the way they came. They got ready to chase after them.

Something croaked loudly by Naruto's foot and felt something slimy touch his toes. "Eeeeahh!" Naruto threw the rock out of his hands, needing them for balance as he kicked his leg straight out several times to get whatever it was off of him.

"Ow!" Neji howled, jumping up and down holding his foot. So that's where the rock landed. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Something touched me!" Naruto wailed, pointing at his leg.

Neji, still hopping in place snarled. "It's just a stupid toad! For crying out loud, you should be used to seeing them by now! You summon them."

Naruto looked at the toad clinging to his ankle. Its throat puffed out as it croaked again, staring at him with big dark eyes. Naruto frowned. This tiny little toad is what startled him? How embarrassing. He reached down and peeled the toad off his foot. "This is your fault, you stupid little..."

"Naruto!" Neji pointed. The shadows were already on the other side of the river and Sakura had run into the forest after them. "Come on! Hurry!"

They ran into the forest in pursuit of the shadow people. It was so dark, Naruto could barely see anything. The forest had gotten thicker. Branches whipped Naruto's face and arms and shrubs and roots tangled his feet. He ran even after he had lost sight of them. He didn't stop until he heard Sakura's voice.

"Naruto!" she was calling him. Naruto changed directions and found Sakura wandering around the woods looking lost. "There you are, Naruto. Did you see where they went?"

"No, I lost sight of them a long time ago."

"Same here. It's almost as if they vanished. And there's no one out here but us."

Neji appeared beside them. "Well?"

"Nothing. They're gone."

He groaned looking down. "Again? How does this keep happening?" Sighing, Neji turned, expecting the other two to follow. "Let's head back. I couldn't find anything either. We're the only ones out here."

"We'll have to come up with another strategy." Sakura and Naruto followed him back to the village. "I still can't believe our lack of progress..."

"Yeah. I know."

Back at the inn, Sai was sitting in his favorite chair looking out the window. He stood up when he saw them head to their rooms. He followed Neji and Naruto without a word. Neji removed his headband and tossed it beside his bed on the floor. He was in a sour mood after once again making no progress. All he wanted to do was go to bed and not do anything for a while.

Naruto went to his own bed, taking off his jacket and throwing it on the floor. Sai stood watching him. Naruto started to climb into the bed beside Neji. "We're getting nowhere fast, aren't we, Neji?"

"Good night, Naruto." Neji didn't want to speak anymore and he didn't want to be reminded of these facts. He just wanted to go to bed.

"Yeah, ok. Good night." Naruto got under the covers. He looked at the foot of his bed and noticed that Sai was still staring at them in the dark. "Sai, go to bed."

Sai stood for a moment then moved. He crawled between Neji and Naruto, snuggling them.

"Your bed!" they both shouted and shoved him to the proper place. Sai wordlessly climbed into his own bed and faced the window.

"Weird little freak..." Naruto grumbled. "He's so perverted."

Sai faced him. The moonlight outside the window made his eyes look as if they were glowing in the dark.

His glowing eyes made Naruto feel uncomfortable. They weren't scary, just creepy. As if Sai's eyes were replaced with the eyes of another. Maybe they wouldn't have been so creepy if Sai had stopped staring at him with them. "Sai..." Naruto started. "Are you ok?"

"White tiger."

"Yeah, yeah. Got anything else to say?"

Sai smiled in the dark.

"Ok, fine. Good night." Naruto turned over. He didn't like the idea of having his back face Sai, being such a vulnerable position, but he couldn't stand looking at that face anymore. Those glowing eyes or that fake smile which didn't look so fake anymore.

As soon as Naruto fell asleep, he started to have a dream. It was the strangest dream Naruto had had in a long time. He was walking in total darkness. There was no distinction between the floor and the sky. There was no way to tell where the walls were or if there were any. Everything was painted black. He kept walking.

Out of the darkness, a tree appeared. In that tree sat a young man. As Naruto drew closer, he could make out who that man was. "Neji?"

He looked down. "One-hundred days and nights."

"Huh?"

Neji clung to the tree with both arms. "I shall not come down until then. I am strong and all shall see me as such. I am wise."

Naruto's legs carried him away, watching the tree slip away along with Neji's voice. Something tight wrapped around Naruto's arm and carried him away and set him down. The tail of the kite untangled itself and flew off. Now he was standing in front of a puddle of water which didn't reflect any of the darkness. It was as pale as the moon. From that puddle rose a girl dressed in a flowing garment and jewels in her pink hair, as if she were prepared for a magnificent wedding.

"Sakura?"

He had never seen Sakura look so beautiful before. She looked like a goddess. "Ask me anything your heart desires," she told him, her soft lips matching her pink hair.

"Well, I'd kind of like to know where I am."

Sakura shook her head. "You know so little."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm stupid. You tell me all the time."

"I say you know nothing, which is different." Her robes began to wave as if she were floating under water.

"Whatever. I just want to leave."

"You cannot leave until everything is put right. That is your mission."

"Mission? Yeah, but... I thought we were just going after the guys who keep coming here. The shadow people."

"They are not a threat."

"They're not?"

Sakura nodded. "What must you do when something is lost?"

"Uh... Find it?"

She nodded. "Shall I tell you a story?" Before Naruto could answer, Sakura started to sink into the water.

"Wait! Wait!"

"Come see me when I am full." Sakura's head vanished beneath the water's surface and was gone. The pale water was gone as well.

Naruto stood where he was, waiting to see if she would return. When she didn't, he bent down and started feeling around for the water. His body began to sink. With nothing to grab onto, Naruto was forced to watch himself sink into the dark ground. As soon as the surface was up to his neck, he stopped sinking. Was he in water? It didn't feel like water. As he searched for a way to escape, he heard footsteps. He turned his head and saw someone coming closer.

"S... Sai?"

It looked like Sai but as the same time it didn't. He was wearing the same clothes as he did on missions and he was as pale as ever. Only his pale skin was covered in white stripes and he had a long furry tail. Just like a tiger. His eyes were glowing like a pair of twin moons. He crouched by Naruto's head and smiled at him.

"Sai, help me out of here."

He only smiled and moved his face closer to Naruto's. "Do you know where I am?"

"Huh?"

"Can you find me?" Sai reached forward and stroked Naruto's cheek. His hand felt heavy. "Missing? Or lost?"

Before Naruto could answer him, Sai opened his mouth. It was full of pointed fangs. He had moved closer then suddenly moved away. He was getting further and further away though his body wasn't moving. It was as if Naruto was the one moving. Even though Sai was getting further away, he could hear his voice getting louder and louder, calling his name.

"Naruto. Naruto. Wake up, Naruto."

"Huh?!" Naruto's eyes snapped open. Sai wasn't the one calling him. It was Neji. He was looking at the Hyuga upside-down. Naruto was laying side-ways, taking up two beds. His pillow was over his neck and the blanket was wrapped around his arm.

"You certainly move a lot in your sleep. Deeply, too. I've been trying to get you up for the past couple of minutes."

"Oh? Sorry." Naruto untangled himself and sat up in bed. "I just had the strangest dream. I've never had anything like this one before. It was so weird."

Neji was already heading out the door to get something to eat. He had no interest in hearing about Naruto's dream. His job was only to wake him up. Not to listen to him.

At breakfast, Naruto helped himself to a little of everything on the table. Neji was finishing up his first helping and showing no signs of having anymore. Sakura on the other hand was grabbing a second helping of soup and a muffin. Remembered in his dream, Sakura said to see her when she was full. What did that mean, he wondered. Maybe he should find out.

As soon as she took a bite out of the muffin, Naruto leaned across the table and asked, "Full yet?"

Thinking he was implying that she was fat, Sakura gave him the first punch of the day. Naruto went flying backwards into Sai's favorite chair, which he was currently sitting in. The chair wasn't broken and Sai was not injured. He smiled at Naruto and gave him a pat on the head then went back to looking out the window.

* * *

Cool dream, huh?

Please review. ^-^


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**:

The wedding was one day away. Everyone was bustling to get things done. Sakura seemed very enthusiastic about it. She helped out as much as she could and barked orders at Naruto as the villagers set everything up. Even though there was plenty of time to kill before nightfall, Naruto wanted to get things done as fast as possible. He conjured up five Shadow Clones and sent them on errands throughout the village. They hung colorful streamers and decorated tables. The paper lanterns were brought out and were going to be hung in different locations. They were going to be lit the night of the wedding, but it was decided that they would be hung up early to make sure everything was set up just right. Everything had to be perfect.

Now Naruto and two other clones set to work on a sedan chair. "What's this thing for anyway?" Naruto asked as he fastened the red and purple drapes on the thin metal rod.

"It's for the bride," Sakura explained as she worked on the canopy. "It'll fetch the bride and carry her through the village. Like a parade. The villagers explained it to me. I think it sounds very royal. Like being a princess."

"The village isn't that big. It'll be the shortest wedding procession ever! Do they really need to fetch her with this?"

"They're going all out. They have traditions here. I think it's very romantic."

"I hope you don't expect this at your wedding. This is a lot of work." Naruto poked a hole in the drape and tried to cover it up by mushing the fabric close together so it bunched.

"Weddings are a lot of work. Everyone goes all out to make it special. I'd love to have something like this."

Naruto hung the curtain on the hooks inside the canopy. "Yeah... But do you really think you're worth the trouble?"

Sakura threw a punch at Naruto, popping one of his two clones. The real Naruto hid behind the canopy. "No offense! I was just saying!"

Before Sakura could throw another punch, Neji stood between them. "A word?"

"She started it." Naruto pointed.

"It's not about that." Neji took them back to the inn and stood beside the building. "I wanted to talk about the plans for tonight."

"What's there to talk about? We're going nowhere fast with this mission. We're not getting anywhere at all."

Neji glared at Naruto. He didn't want to be reminded of this fact. "I'm well aware of that. So far, we cannot touch them and as we've seen the past few nights, we can't follow them. They seem to disappear once they enter the woods."

"So it is a jutsu?"

"I'm not sure what else it could be."

"Ghosts?" Naruto suggested.

"We've been through this. No, it's not." Neji turned his head, now addressing Sakura. "So far everything we've done hasn't helped us or hurt us. They show up for a few minutes at night then leave. Our mission was to make sure they are first, not a threat, and second, to get rid of them. They haven't done any damage yet."

"So what are you thinking? Want to see how this plays out? They may be showing up for the wedding tomorrow. You think that's it?"

"Could be."

Naruto looked from one to the other. "What's that mean? They want to see the wedding or something?"

"Every night they show up as if they're looking for something. Then they leave." Neji nodded his head. "You're right, Sakura. They could be here for that purpose."

"Why?" Naruto hated how they were having their own conversation. "Why?"

"Naruto, weren't you listening the other day?" Sakura asked. "One of their wedding traditions was that the bride cannot leave her room until the day after the wedding. It's to ensure a good marriage. She'll be vulnerable. What if the room is on fire or if someone broke into it? She cannot leave. Don't you see how dangerous that could be for her?"

"She's right. What if those shadows want to do harm to her? She'll be in that room all night, unable to leave. They'll know right where to find her and will be able to get her quite easily. Since she can't leave..."

Naruto nodded. "Oh! Yeah, I see what you mean now. Yeah, that sucks. But you guys really think those shadows are after her?"

"It's just a theory. It's just strange that they would show up every night and do nothing then leave."

"Like we said, they're looking for something."

* * *

While the children in the village played, the adults and ninja worked under the blazing sun. The work wouldn't have been as bad if it weren't so hot and sunny. Sweat dripped from Naruto's forehead like a melting icicle. He took off his jacket and tied it around his waist as he worked. After they were finished setting up the sedan chair and canopy, Naruto was sent off to do other chores. He really didn't want to do this anymore. It was too hot to work. He had to escape somehow.

When no one was looking, Naruto slipped away, hiding between buildings. He watched everyone working hard under the bright sun and didn't envy them one bit. As long as he stayed here, he would have cool shade and not have to work.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Caught already? Naruto turned around. Ayaka was crouched behind him. She put a finger to her lips. "I won't tell if you don't."

Naruto nodded before he could make sense of what she was saying. "So why are you hiding here?"

"I sneaked away. My dad doesn't want me to do anything. I told him I'm better but he still wants me to stay in the house. I'm so sick of it. I want to get out and do something."

"So why are you hiding here?"

"Because whenever I go outside, I'm always stopped by people and they tell me to go back inside. It's my wedding. I should at least see how things are going."

"Yeah, you have a point." In that moment, Naruto had a great idea. "Hey, I know. Why don't I keep you company? That way no one can say anything about you being out unsupervised. I'll be looking after you so you can do what you want and this way I can say I'm doing something. I really don't want to work anymore."

"That's a great idea." Ayaka grabbed Naruto's arm. "I haven't been outside in a long time. I want to see the village again. I'm sure things have changed since the last time I was outside."

Naruto and Ayaka weaved between buildings, trying to get to less crowded streets without being seen. Their first stop was the farm on the hill. Ayaka went straight into the barn to see the animals. She held out straw, feeding the horses, shying away at their size.

"I remember seeing the horses when I was little. They were big then, too. The farmer used to have a brown and white one. I'm not seeing it now. I called that one Cow because it looked like ones with the spots."

"So how long has it been since you were last outside?"

"It's been years. Maybe ten."

"Ten years?!" Naruto had heard that she hadn't been well enough to go outside but he didn't know it had been ten straight years. She must have had a very boring and difficult life. "But you're better now, right?"

"Yup. I've been good for a month or two." She sighed. "Too bad not everyone seems to believe that. Everyone worries about me and thinks I should stay in bed even though I'm better. I know it's just because they care, but I'm fine. Really."

Ayaka went back to feeding the horses. He offered them apples and anything else she found in the stable. One of the horses tried to take a bite out of her necklace and she jumped back.

"No, no. Not that. You can't eat that."

This was the second time Naruto noticed her odd necklace and was once again curious about it. "That's a weird-looking necklace you have there. I've never seen a jewel like that before."

"It's not a jewel," she said. "It's a tiger's fang. At least, I think it is. My dad gave it to me." She wrapped the hooked white object in her hands as if it were a precious jewel. "I always wear it."

"Don't you ever get stabbed with the tip?"

She shrugged. "Not really. I don't care. It was a gift from my dad so I'm happy to wear it."

One of the horses neighed loudly making Ayaka jump and back away from the stall. Naruto reached out and patted the horse's nose, showing no fear. Ayaka smiled at his action and relaxed. "I heard that you got a lot of attention while you were sick. People were always coming over to visit you."

"Yup. Everyone's been so nice to me. They would take care of me when my dad had to work. Haruki would tell me stories his grandmother told him. They're very entertaining. Some were kind of sad, though."

"Like what?"

"Like this story about the wicked sage who bullied different towns and villages in order to get their support."

Naruto had heard a story from the old woman about a sage who was very mean. He wondered if it was the same one. "Do you remember how it went? I'd like to hear it." Whatever passed the time.

"There was this sage who flaunted his wisdom and power so often he became very well known throughout the lands. He frequently left his home village to travel to other lands in order to get more followers. The more people admiring him, the better. So he traveled to different villages, showing off his knowledge and power. He would solve their problems for a high price. One day, he came upon a village beyond a river and saw that the village was very well off. However, there was a terrible tiger who frequently went into the village, slaughtering livestock at will. The people lived in fear of the tiger. The sage knew how to get the people's worship and their money.

"He came into the village and announced to them that he could relieve the village of the terrible tiger. All he asked in return was their loyalty and to be paid one sack of silver. The people did not have the money to pay him, but they didn't want to live in fear of the tiger anymore. They wanted to hear what he had to say. The sage told them to sacrifice one of their children to the tiger. A baby would do just fine. The people could not believe what they were hearing and refused. Such an act would be wicked and unjustifiable. 'It is just a baby, far too young for anyone to be attached to yet,' the sage said and told them to do as instructed. He left shortly after. Even if it would rid the village of the terrible tiger, the people could not bring themselves to give up a child and have the tiger gobble it up.

"Later, the sage returned to the village to see if anything had been done yet. To his surprise, the village seemed to be in good spirits. When he asked why this was, the people told him that the tiger had stopped attacking the village and left them in peace. And it was done without sacrificing a child. The sage could not believe it. Even though the problem was solved without his help, he still demanded payment for his advice. The people refused. He had done nothing and they got rid of the tiger without using his horrible method. Why should they pay him when he had done nothing? They couldn't pay him anyway. They had no silver to give. Outraged, the sage told them that they had one week to pay him. If they did not, the village would suffer. He told them that without his help, the tiger would return. It was because of him that the tiger had left in the first place. The villagers knew he was lying. He had done nothing. 'Mark my words,' he said to them. 'By this time in a week, the tiger will return and attack again. It is because of me that you are left in peace. If you wish to continue having protection, you just pay me my dues.'

"One weeks passed and then two and the tiger did not return. The people knew the sage had been lying. He wasn't as powerful as he had made himself out to be. As they entered the third week, the sage returned, demanding payment. The villagers refused. The sage began to curse them and threatened them. The villagers cast him out. The corrupted sage returned the following night and set fire to the village as they slept. He made sure there was nothing left of the village and made sure all the people were dead. Satisfied, the sage went back to his carriage and left for home. The village and all the people who refused him were completely destroyed, leaving nothing left."

Naruto swallowed. "That is dark. And no one knew what had happened?"

"Since the village was completely wiped out, there was no proof it had ever existed in the first place." Ayaka gave a sad sigh. "I feel so bad for them. Not even graves to visit... Usually if that happens, they become wandering spirits. That's why there are graves. Without graves, where would they go to find rest?"

Before Naruto could be afraid of more ghosts wandering around, the farmer stuck his head into the barn. "Ayaka! What are you doing in here?"

Ayaka flinched and moved behind Naruto. "I just wanted to see the horses and cows and stuff."

The farmer approached her, shaking his head. "Dear girl, you should be resting up for your big day. You shouldn't be out here by yourself."

"She's not by herself. I was with her the whole time," Naruto said, raising his hand into the air. Ayaka nodded her head up and down, moving closer to him.

The farmer might have scolded her more if Naruto had not spoken up. Instead he gave a weary sigh and a halfhearted nod. "I suppose... Still, I think you should go back home and rest. I'll take you home."

"No, no, I got her. I'll take her back." Naruto said quickly. He didn't intend to bring her back, of course. He just said that to get the farmer to leave them alone.

It worked. The farmer watched them leave down the hill and back into the village. Naruto planned to sneak away as soon as the farmer looked the other way. Picking up on this, Ayaka kept up with Naruto's fast pace and as soon as they were among the buildings, sprinted to another street, taking her further away from her house.

Ayaka ran ahead of him. She crossed the street and yellow field with skipping leaps. It was hard to believe she was ever sick. She seemed to be in perfect health. Even when she lost her footing and landed in the grass, she laughed it off and rolled. Naruto lost sight of her in the dirt fog as their feet kicked up the dry earth. Her coughing turned to laughter and she sat in the grass, not caring about her dirty clothes.

"I'm so tired of people telling me that all the time," she said. "I know they're concerned, but I'm not sick anymore. I wish they could understand that. I've been in bed most of my life. I want to spend my healthy days outside in the sun. I want to see the sky above me, not from a window. I've always had people taking care of me. But I'm not sick anymore. I can take care of myself. I wish they could see that."

Naruto sat with her. She was already sweating from the unnaturally warm day and blazing sunlight. Even if she was in good health, Naruto thought it would be a good idea for her to stay in the shade before she overheated.

The villagers caught sight of them and started asking Ayaka if she was alright and offered to take her home. There was no way for them to enjoy themselves like this. Naruto had to take her back. The villagers would never leave them in peace otherwise. Even as they walked back to her house, the villagers stopped working to ask if she was alright and some even came over, offering to walk her home. Ayaka gave them polite smiles while her eyes looked very sad. She wanted to frolic a little longer and have the freedom everyone else had.

After he dropped her off at the front door of her house, Naruto went to the inn to cool off. He ducked inside before anyone could catch him. He just wanted to lie down in bed under a fan. That sounded like heaven. Why did it feel like summer when it wasn't? Was this always how a drought occurred?

As he stepped inside, he saw something hop by his feet and out the door. It was a small warty toad. Naruto frowned. "You're the one who tripped me up last night and made me look like a joke." The toad kept hopping and wedge itself behind one of the stone lions, seeking shade. Naruto slammed the door shut. "Stupid toad."

"Rabbit."

Naruto found Sai in his usual chair staring at him. "Whatever." Sai's eyes darted to the kitchen area and back at Naruto as if telling him something. Suspicious, Naruto peered into the kitchen and saw a pair of legs dangling from a trashcan. It was the boy, Nozomu, again. "I thought you promised not to do that anymore."

The boy continued digging. "Don't tell my uncle."

"Fine. But you still lied to him."

"I promised I wouldn't let him catch me doing this again. That's all." Nozomu fished out a fish bone from the bottom of the trashcan and put it in his pocket. "I'll bring rain to the village. I will."

"From a fish bone?"

"Anything that's like a tiger's bone will do! Tiger bones are magic. If I put it in the Dragon's Well, it will rain. And it won't be so hot anymore."

"White tiger," said Sai from the other room.

Naruto growled. He left the kitchen and stormed into the next room. "Sai, will you shut the hell up?! Why do you keep saying the same thing over and over again?"

Sai stared at him.

"Make sense!"

"White tiger."

"Yeah, yeah. White... tiger..." Naruto blinked. According to the story, if a tiger's bone was thrown into the Dragon's Well, rain would fall during a drought. Most of those stories had a white tiger in them. And Ayaka's necklace was... "White tiger!"

Naruto ran from the inn and back to Ayaka's house. She was sitting on a bench beside her home talking to a woman who was offering her a cold drink. There were too many tables and boxes to go around, so Naruto jumped over them. He reached between a wall of boxes and snatched the necklace off her thin neck. "My necklace!" she cried. Naruto sprinted back to the inn, dodging everyone in his path.

Could this have been why Sai was acting so strangely? Was he trying to tell them something? He kept repeating the same thing over and over again. Could this have been the bone of the fabled White Tiger?

Naruto ran inside the inn and stood in front of Sai, presenting him with the necklace. "This? You mean this?" Naruto panted.

Sai's eyes fell on the necklace and grew wide. He reached out with both hands and took hold of the ornament. "White tiger," he breathed and held it as if it were a priceless treasure.

"What about it?"

"White tiger..." Sai nodded his head up and down. "White tiger."

Naruto grabbed Sai's shoulders and held him. "Yes, yes, I know! What about it? What about the white tiger?" Sai didn't speak. He kept staring at the necklace so Naruto had to shake him. "Snap out of it, Sai! Tell me! What about the white tiger?"

"Lost."

Naruto bent down. "What was that? What did you say?"

Sai continued to stare at the necklace. "Lost," he repeated.

"Lost?" What was that supposed to mean?

The door to the inn banged open. "There he is!"

Naruto yelped and spun around. A large man came storming up to him with clenched fists. It was Ayaka's father. "You little thief!"

Sakura came running in next followed by Neji and the innkeeper. "Naruto! What the hell were you thinking? Why did you steal that?"

"I didn't, Sakura! I was just-"

"You snatched it right off her neck!" The father swiped the necklace out of Sai's hands. Sai's eyes followed the necklace's movements, looking like a child who had his favorite toy stolen away.

"Naruto!" Sakura said again. "Stealing? Really?"

"It's not what you think!" Naruto tried to explain himself. "Sai kept talking about the white tiger so I thought-"

"Naruto, can't you see he's lost his mind? Nothing Sai says makes any sense!"

"Let's all just calm down," Neji tried to regain order. "I'm sure Naruto didn't mean any harm by it. He may have had good reason... though it's not looking too good at the moment."

Ayaka's father shook the necklace in Naruto's face. "Don't you ever touch this necklace again! It's what keeps my daughter healthy! It made her well!"

Neji stopped trying to be peace-maker. "I beg your pardon, sir, but how is that possible? I don't think it's magical by any means."

"Don't talk as if you know!" he spat. "It was told that if someone is ill, a tiger is supposed to help heal them. It's an old superstition but their bones are supposed to have healing properties. Any part of a tiger, actually. So I searched and finally found this tiger's bone and placed it around my daughter's neck. Within a few hours, she regained strength and was able to walk without help. She was well again."

"I'm sure it was just coincidence," Neji muttered.

The father went on. "If this necklace is removed, I'm sure she'll get sick again. She removed it once to bathe and she became ill again within minutes. We placed it back on and she was well again. This necklace is the only thing keeping her healthy."

"Ok, ok! I'm sorry! I didn't know." Even with Naruto's training, he was sure this scary father could kill him if he wanted to.

The father took the necklace and left the inn, giving the innkeeper and ninja dirty looks. Nozomu watched from the doorway, eyes on the man holding the necklace. Naruto looked at Sai who's disposition had changed from a few moments ago. Eyes no longer wide, Sai slumped in his seat and stared out the window. A few moments ago, he was alert and focused. Now he seemed to be in a daze.

Sakura punched Naruto in the head. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Ow! I said I was sorry! Don't hit me!" Still, he couldn't drop the idea that Sai knew more than he was letting on. As soon as that necklace was in his hand, his whole personality changed. Despite what Neji thought, Naruto knew better. That necklace was magic.

* * *

Please review ^-^


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**:

Now that Naruto had been branded a thief, everyone in the village threw him dirty looks and whispered about him as he passed by. Even more of a reason to stay inside and off the street. He didn't mean to get on their bad side. He was just trying to get answers. If Sai kept repeating the words 'white tiger' over and over again, there must have been a reason for it. Many of the stories he heard had a White Tiger in it. There must have been some kind of connection.

With nothing else to do and most of the village shunning him, Naruto kept the silent Sai company. All he did was sit and stare out the window as usual. He would smile at Naruto any time he tried to engage Sai in conversation and contribute no further.

Naruto watched him stare out the window as he had done for the past several days, becoming curious. "I wonder... Hey, Sai?" Sai didn't turn right away. "Did you want to go outside?"

Maybe that was why Sai kept staring out the window. Maybe he wanted to go outside and walk around. Maybe there was something out there he wanted to see.

Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the chair. "Come on. Let's go outside for a bit. The fresh air will do you some good."

Sai came along willingly. He bowed his head to the stone lions and stepped into the warm sunlight. Naruto and Sai walked shoulder to shoulder down the street. Hopefully being with Sai would allow Naruto to walk down the street without being criticized too severally by the villagers. Maybe they would think Sai was watching him to make sure he didn't do anything.

No one took much notice of them. The villagers were too busy with the wedding preparations to glance their way. Women compared fabrics and men carried large boxes and wooden tables from one street to the next. One woman held up a round lantern with a star pattern and turned to the woman beside her. "Shame she isn't getting married tonight. It is a full moon after all. It would be beautiful."

The woman beside her nodded. "Yes, but that was before. At the rate we're going, things would never be ready in time if they decided to do it today. The moon will still be big tomorrow night. And with no clouds, they should have no problems seeing it."

That was right. Because of the drought, there were no clouds in the sky. Which made the sun so much harsher and brighter. The heat was so terrible, Naruto wanted to turn back and wait it out in the inn; but he was curious to see what Sai would do now that he was outside.

For the most part, Sai didn't do anything but walk. The heat didn't seem to bother him while Naruto could feel the top of his head blistering. Sai stopped and looked down with a smile. "Rabbit." He bent down and picked up the small toad hopping towards him. He held it in both hands close to his face; so close Naruto thought he was going to kiss it.

"Why do you keep calling that thing a rabbit?" Naruto asked.

The toad's throat puffed out several times, sitting calmly in his hands. Sai's smile spread and gave it a pat on the head with his thumb. "Rabbit."

Naruto shook his head. "I wish you'd start making sense, Sai. Everyone thinks you're crazy. Even I know you're nuts but..." There was something going on inside Sai's head. Something no one could make sense of. Maybe he wasn't crazy after all. Maybe he really was trying to tell them something. Maybe he was speaking in code.

A little boy came running down the street, ducking under tables and around barrels, holding something in his hands. Naruto recognized those dirty ripped pants anywhere. It was Nozomu. And he was holding a bone in his hands. Ayaka's necklace! Naruto cut him off and wouldn't let him leave.

"What are you doing with that?"

Nozomu held it close to his chest so Naruto couldn't snatch it away. "I'm saving the village!" he said firmly. "It's a real tiger's bone! I'll throw it down the well and make it rain!"

"You can't do that." Even if he did believe this child, Naruto was certain he would get blamed for this somehow. Maybe the villagers would think he stole it again and tried to blame it on Nozomu or that he put the boy up to it. "You can't just steal it. You have to give it back."

"Why should I?"

"Because without it, she'll get sick again. That's what her dad said. That thing's magic."

"If it's magic then it will work and bring rain to this village. I have to do this!"

This boy was as stubborn as any other child. "Listen, you don't want Ayaka to get sick again, do you?"

Nozomu looked down. "No..."

"And it's her wedding tomorrow. You have to give it back. Do something nice for her and return it."

Nozomu frowned. "I don't want her to get sick again... But I don't want the village to suffer either! It hasn't rained here in a couple months! We only have the river left and soon that will dry up, too. It's already going down. I can see the banks and I couldn't before. When that dries up, the plants will die and we can't get food, we'll have nothing to drink and then we'll die. So I'd rather have the girl sick than have everyone dead."

"Good point." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. This boy had this well thought out. He knew how to reason. He couldn't let everyone in the village die just to keep one girl from getting sick. Besides, if everyone died, then she would die, too. It was probably best for her to be sick and alive than have her and everyone else die.

While Naruto thought, Nozomu tried to sneak around him but was cut off again. "Let me through! I have to throw this down the well and save the village!"

"Ok, ok, let's make a deal." Naruto bent down to be at eye level with the small boy. "You can throw that down the well..." Nozomu started to go around him and Naruto grabbed his wrist. "Wait! Let me finish! We'll throw the tiger bone into the well and when it starts raining we'll take it out and give it back to Ayaka. Deal?"

It seemed like a good plan. Nozomu seemed to think so as well because he agreed and led Naruto over to the old well.

The well accepted the bone. Nozomu watched its decent, leaning over the cool stones and listened. There was a dull thump as it hit the bottom of the dark well. Nozomu climbed down and poked his head out from under the old wooden roof, watching the sky.

Naruto shielded his eyes and looked up at the unchanging sky. No clouds appeared, no rumbling. Nothing happened. He looked at Nozomu who kept staring up eagerly with clenched fists. But nothing changed.

Naruto sighed. "Ok, let's-"

"Wait!" Nozomu kept looking at the sky, eyes squinting in the burning light.

Naruto looked back at the sky. Maybe the bone needed a few seconds to work. They stood staring at the sky for another minute but nothing changed. It was not going to rain. Feeling they had waited long enough, Naruto looked back at Nozomu. "It's not working."

"It has to! It's our only hope! I have to bring rain to the village and save everyone! All those stories are true! They have to be! It's the only thing giving me hope. If I throw a tiger's bone into the Dragon's Well, it will rain in times of drought. That's how the story goes." Even when his eyes started to water from the sunlight, Nozomu kept staring at the sky, hoping to see clouds and feel the rain.

Naruto couldn't wait anymore and looked down into the well. He couldn't see the bottom. According to what her father said, Ayaka would get sick again within minutes if the bone was not around her neck. He had to get it back.

He sat on the edge of the stone well letting his feet dangle and getting a feel for the well's size. It was smaller than he thought. There was no bucket or rope to lower himself with, but he didn't seem to need it. The well was small enough for him to hold onto the walls. He could easily climb down and use his Chakra to steady himself. It was just like climbing a tree without using his hands. This should be easy. Naruto started to lower himself. Soon he realized his first plan wasn't going to work. The well was almost as narrow as a chimney. Pressing his back against the wall, he could barely fit his arms in front of him. He couldn't even bend his knees. This meant he couldn't use the technique he wanted. He was having trouble pressing the soles of his feet against the wall. Maybe he couldn't get his feet in front of him but he knew he could step on the wall behind him. It was basic human anatomy. There were certain ways the body could bend.

As soon as he tried his back-up plan, it back fired. He slipped and started sliding straight down the well. He tried to slow himself with his hands but the bumpy stones only knocked his hands away and caused him a great deal of pain. He managed to slow himself just enough, however. When he finally touched the bottom, it wasn't as painful as it would have been. Now he faced a new problem. The darkness and lack of space. He couldn't see anything. He could feel different things around his feet but couldn't see them. To make matters worse, he couldn't reach down to pick them up. Naruto had to rely on his flexibility.

The bottom of the well was cold and smelled like mold. Parts of the wall were soft, some were slimy and some just felt like cold stone. Naruto pressed his cheek against the wall, trying to reach the bottom with his hands but his knees couldn't bend without hitting the wall. He couldn't lower himself any further. He had to improvise. He kicked off one of his shoes and started feeling around with his foot.

"What the hell did that kid throw down here?" Naruto winced, feeling all sorts of different textures. Some were hard, some were smooth, some bumpy, fuzzy, spiky and something that felt like dead leaves and thistles. He touched something with his foot and curled his toes around it. It was long and thin like a necklace chain. He kicked his foot flinging the object up and caught it in his hand. He felt it with his thumb. It felt like jewelery but he couldn't feel the fang-like bone. He felt around again. His toe managed to hook something long and thin. He kicked it up and caught it. He could feel the hook-like bone and knew he had the necklace. He slipped his shoe back on and looked up.

Now he faced a new problem: how to get out of here?

He tried to climb out by pressing his back into the wall and pushing against the opposite side with his arms. That didn't work. He couldn't get his arms up far enough to exert enough pressure. His back kept sliding down the wall with every attempt. He couldn't get a good grip. Next he tried climbing using his hands to pull himself up, using the bumpy stones as a ladder. That didn't work either. The stones were too smooth and there was very little to grip onto. Even using his Chakra it was too difficult. The stones would shift or slip from his grasp. He was stuck.

"Hello?" he called up from the bottom of the well. With any luck, Nozomu would still be nearby looking up at the sky and hear him. "A little help? Hello? Hey, I'm stuck in here! Help!"

"Naruto?"

"Yeah!" Naruto could barely make out Sakura's image above him, but he heard her voice very clearly. "Sakura, I need some help! I'm stuck down here. Can you get me out?"

"You got yourself down there, can't you get yourself out?"

"I tried but I can't. Can you throw me a rope or something?"

Her head disappeared and a second one appeared. It was Neji. He looked down the well then turned away shaking his head.

"Well, sorry!" Naruto called up. "I've tried everything else! Are you gonna help me or not?"

Something hit the top of Naruto's forehead. It was a rope. "Does that answer your question?" came Neji's voice. "Now hold onto that and I'll pull you up."

"Ok!" Naruto held onto the rope, still clutching the objects he found at the bottom of the well in his left hand. Naruto couldn't climb the rope with so little space, but being pulled up seemed like the best strategy. He held on tight as the rope started to move. The rope groaned and strained, but Naruto was moving.

"Climb the rope!" yelled Neji. "Don't make me do all the work."

"I can't! There's not enough space. This well's tiny."

"And old," came Sakura's voice. It was faint at first, then got much louder. "You're an idiot, Naruto! What kind of ninja are you, getting stuck in a dry well?"

"I didn't know it was this narrow!"

"Did you think of using Shadow Clones?" came Neji's voice.

"No!" Sakura's voice came again. "The well's already old and falling apart. I mean, look at it. If he uses his Shadow Clones, the well could break. Plus, Naruto said it was too narrow. If he uses them, he'll be crushed. The best thing to do is to pull him up with the rope like we decided."

Neji pulled on the rope, his feet sliding across the dry dirt. He was strong, but having Naruto's dead weight on the other end didn't make his job easy. Not to mention the rope's poor condition. It was old and felt like straw against Neji's palms. As the rope rubbed against the stone well, dust and flacks were shaved off and fell like rain drops from a branch after a storm. The rope was practically falling apart in his hands, but that was what the villagers offered him.

At this rate the rope wouldn't last much longer. Parts of the rope were beginning to unwind and some parts were getting thinner as it rubbed against the stone like cheese on a grater. "Hurry up and put some effort into it! At this rate, the rope's going to snap long before we get you out of there."

"Then hurry up!" Naruto yelled from inside the well.

"Contribute something!"

A crowd had formed, all watching the spectacle at the well. Some people whispered, some people giggled, some offered different ideas, but everyone stood around watching the ninja try to get their comrade out of the old dry well. Among the crowd was Sai, still holding the toad in his hands. He peered around shoulders and heads, trying to get a better look. Seeing his friends struggle, he stepped forward.

The midsection of the rope was getting thinner. It was going to snap before they got Naruto out. If they wanted to get him out before that happened, they had to do it quickly.

Sai looked at the toad sitting calmly in his hands. Then he carefully reached up and gingerly set the toad on his head. Hands now free and the toad safe, Sai moved closer to the well. He walked straight over to where Neji was struggling and took hold of the rope, a little further from where Neji's hands were gripping. Sai held the rope in one hand and, with very little effort, gave the rope a sudden tug.

Naruto shot out of the well like a rocket. It was a miracle his arms were still attached after such a powerful jerk. He was pulled straight out of the well and into the air. In midair, the rope snapped but it was no longer needed. Naruto was free. He soared over Sai's head and crashed into Neji who stood like a stunned animal still holding onto the broken rope. The two went tumbling over into the dirt.

Naruto, Neji and Sakura all stared open-mouthed at Sai. Though Naruto had not seen it from inside the well, he knew what had happened. Sai smiled at them all and took the toad off his head. Cupping it in his hands, Sai turned and walked away into the parting crowd.

"That's so weird..." Sakura murmured. "Sai was never that strong before. To pull Naruto up single-handed like that..."

"He didn't put any effort into it at all," added Neji. "He just tugged on the rope with one hand. Just a flick of his wrist."

Something was definitely wrong with Sai. But now he wasn't just odd. He was creepy.

"Naruto, why were you in that well in the first place?" asked Sakura.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Naruto held up the necklace. "Nozomu threw this down the well so I went in to get it back."

"Nozomu!" A man stepped forward, putting his hands on his hips. He was frowning at the small boy. "I thought we had put aside this nonsense!"

"But dad..!"

"Dad?!" Naruto looked from the man to the boy. Now he remembered. That man was the same one who was feuding with the groom's mother. Naruto had seen him the other day with Haruki, but he had no idea he was Nozomu's father.

"I thought I could make it rain if I did. That's a tiger's bone. If I-"

"I know you're trying to help, but you can't just take things and throw them down a well. Not to mention, you took that from Ayaka. The poor girl's been sick for so long and then you turn around and steal from her the day before her wedding?"

"I said I was sorry!" Nozomu didn't look sorry for his actions as much as he was that he got caught doing it.

"This wouldn't happen if you had been watching your son better," said a woman. Naruto knew her, as well. This was Haruki's mother.

"I would if I wasn't busy with you all the time."

"You don't have to be!"

"It's because you keep insisting about that silly bracelet. I told you, I don't have it! It's not in my house. You must've misplaced it at home."

"I had it when I went over."

"You did not!"

By this time most of the onlookers were going back to work. Some stayed behind to watch the two neighbors bicker. Naruto stood up and brushed himself off, dropping something in his hand. That's right. He had brought up two items from the well. The necklace and...

"Naruto, what's that?"

"I must've taken that from inside the well, too." Naruto bent down and picked up...

"My bracelet!" The woman ran forward and ripped it out of Naruto's hands. She polished it on her sleeve and quickly fastened it to her wrist. "Wherever did you find it?" The woman looked so overjoyed to have her treasure back.

"I got it from the bottom of the well."

"See?" said the man firmly. "I told you I didn't have it!"

"Then how did it end up inside the well?"

"I threw it down there," answered Nozomu.

The woman and the father both looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"I found it in the kitchen when the lady was over cooking with mom. I asked if mom had a bracelet and dad said no so I threw it down the well. It was shiny and white so I thought it would help make it rain."

"You took it?"

Nozomu nodded.

"I knew you had it in your house. I knew I came over with it."

The father looked ready to argue, but realizing he was at fault for not watching his child, he deflated. "You're right, I'm sorry. I was so sure... but I guess I should have bothered to look and maybe ask if my son had seen it. I didn't put forth any effort to help find it. I guess I should have been watching him better than I was."

The woman sighed. "I suppose you're not completely at fault either. I was quick to blame you. I'm sorry for that."

It was awkward for both of them to admit that they were both at fault. Apologies were exchanged, marking the end of their quarrel. Now the neighbors were smiling at each other and the remaining onlookers gave relieved smiles and returned to work.

While the adults reconciled, Naruto looked through the crowd trying to find Sai. Naruto hurried, hoping to catch up to him. Sai was easy to find. He hadn't wandered too far, walking slowly with the toad in his cupped hands. Naruto easily cut him off and stood in front of him in the middle of the road. "Sai." He didn't say anything. He stood politely, listening.

Naruto didn't know what to ask first. How did Sai possess that kind of strength to yank him out of the well like that? Why was he still hanging onto that toad like that? Now Naruto had a new question to ask: how did he know the bracelet was in that well? Earlier that day, Sai had said the word 'lost' when he was holding onto Ayaka's necklace. Then they happened to go for a walk right by the well just as Nozomu was getting ready to throw the necklace into it. Sai never stopped Naruto from going down that well. It was as if he wanted him to. It couldn't have been coincidence. Sai must have known the lost bracelet was down there and wanted Naruto to find it.

"How did you know the bracelet was down there?"

Sai didn't answer.

"How did you know?"

"White tiger," Sai mumbled, stroking the toad's head.

Naruto stepped aside and followed Sai back to the inn. Maybe Sai hadn't lost his mind after all. Perhaps he knew more than he was letting on. Everyone was ignoring Sai, brushing his actions and words off as something done from his shock or possible insanity. Even Naruto hadn't been paying much attention to him. That was all going to change. Clearly Sai was in his right mind, just unable to communicate the way he used to. Naruto had to pay close attention from now on.

Sai wasn't crazy.

* * *

If Sai's not crazy, then what is he?

Please review ^-^


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

"That's ridiculous," Neji said at dinner that evening. Naruto decided to present his 'findings' to the others while they had their complementary meal. He was convinced that Sai wasn't crazy and was actually trying to tell them something. He must have been speaking in code. Unfortunately, no one believed him. "Naruto, you're just taking stabs in the dark. You don't have any proof."

"Yes, I do! He said the word 'lost' when I showed him the necklace. A couple hours later, we find the bracelet that woman lost inside the well. That couldn't have been coincidence."

"Yes, it could. Saying the word 'lost' doesn't prove anything. Even if it did, it could mean anything. It may or may not have been referring to the woman's lost bracelet. It could have meant any number of things."

"That's right," added Sakura. "And when Ayaka's father came to take back the necklace, he said that it was a tiger's bone right in front of Nozomu, who is known for throwing things down the well. It's not that hard to figure out. Anyone could have predicted that Nozomu threw that bracelet down the well. Finding that bracelet down there doesn't prove anything."

"Not to mention that you happened to be walking by at the time. You were the one who decided to take Sai out for a walk. You were by the well which is where Nozomu goes everyday to throw things. You were bound to stumble across him in that area. And like Sakura said, he overheard what Ayaka's father said about the tiger bone. He knew the folktale about throwing tiger bones down a well to make it rain. Anyone could have predicted this. Sai had nothing to do with it."

Naruto frowned. They did have a point. Nozomu was known for throwing things down the well. His father's wife was good friends with that Haruki's mother and came over frequently. Haruki mentioned that his mother rarely takes off her bracelet, only for cooking and bathing. Nozomu knew the legend about throwing tiger bones down the Dragon's Well in order to make it rain during a drought. Ayaka's father mentioned out loud with Nozomu standing within earshot that his daughter's necklace was made from a tiger's bone. Naturally Nozomu would try to take it and throw it down the well when he had already thrown many things, including the bracelet. It was only natural for Naruto to find it there while on a walk which took them right by the well. A walk Naruto insisted they go on. Maybe Sakura and Neji were right and he was jumping to conclusions. Maybe Sai really wasn't involved in any way. Maybe it was all coincidence.

The innkeeper came in with a tray of Yokan for dessert. He had been listening to their conversation while he prepared the last dish of the evening. "None of that matters. The necklace was returned and the bracelet was found, solving the feud. Everything worked out for the best. I don't see any reason to continue wondering about it. You can't change the past."

"Maybe..." Naruto took one of the plates of Yokan and offered it to Sai. He looked at the thick block of jelly and turned away. The toad was no longer in his hands. It had hopped away when the innkeeper brought them their dinner, knowing it wasn't welcome. Naruto set the dish by the window, hoping Sai would at least take a bite. He had barely eaten anything since their first night in this village. He only had one bowl of rice in the morning and that was it. He was already starting to lose some weight.

While they ate, the innkeeper cleared their plates from dinner, giving them more room. When he left, Neji changed the subject. "Tonight we'll observe. We won't chase them down or try to stop them."

"You mean the shadow guys, right?" Naruto asked while chewing.

"Of course. We're just going to watch them tonight and see what they do. I think it's the wedding they're after. We'll need to come up with a plan for tomorrow night."

"We've got forever to think about that." Naruto swallowed. "Are we invited, by the way?"

"I hope so," said Sakura. "We've been helping them set up and everything."

"To the wedding?" came the innkeeper's voice. "Of course! You're all invited to attend. There will be lots of food and music and a great time. I hope you enjoy yourselves."

Neji turned his head, looking at the innkeeper. "Is it really our place?" he asked. "I'm aware that this is a small village so naturally everyone would be invited, but we're outsiders. This isn't our village and we're only here on business. Should we really be attending something so personal?"

"How is a wedding personal?" Naruto asked, but his question went unanswered.

"Everyone has a place where they belong. No one should be left out. Everyone should have a home. And if this isn't your home, hopefully it will feel like one to you. No one should be left wandering." The innkeeper filled their cups halfway with tea. "It's a sad feeling, being lost."

"Lost," Sai repeated. Naruto was the only one who didn't ignore him. He looked at Sai and waited for him to say something else. He didn't, staring out the window with nothing else to say.

"Yes," said the innkeeper. "Like the homeless spirit story. Or the Wandering Spirits. When Nozomu was younger, I used to tell him that story all the time when he came by to visit. My brother wasn't very interested in tales but I was. I heard the tale from my great aunt before she passed. It's a good one if you'd like to hear it."

"Sure!" Naruto said before anyone could stop him. Sakura didn't mind but Neji frowned. Even if he didn't want to hear another story, he listened anyway.

"The story's short," said the innkeeper. "As the White Tiger was coming home one evening, he came upon some wandering spirits. They seemed lost so he asked them. The spirits couldn't find their home. It once stood on the other side of the river but now another village stands in its place. Their home is gone so where would they go? These spirits had no graves. With no resting place, they would continue to wander endlessly. The White Tiger offered to give them a place to stay, but the spirits were reluctant. They had to have a piece of their land in order to find rest. They couldn't just go anywhere. But the White Tiger told them that he lived near the river. His home was just on the other side. He must have something from their land. So the spirits followed him and sure enough, the White Tiger did have something from their village. With this, the spirits could find rest. They wouldn't be wandering spirits now that they had a home. The White Tiger promised to look after them and give them a place to find rest. And so the spirits lived with the White Tiger with a piece of their village on the other side of the river."

When the story was finished, Naruto was filled with questions. "What was the piece of land the spirits wanted that the White Tiger had?"

"The story doesn't say. No one really knows."

"What did the spirits look like? Were they people?"

"Of course they were people. They're supposed to be ghosts from the village. But their village was destroyed, leaving not a trace. That's why we bury the dead. So they won't become wandering spirits searching for their home."

"Oh," Naruto said. "I thought we did that so they wouldn't stink." Sakura threw her fork at him. "What?! I was half kidding."

"Only half?"

Neji finished his dessert and set his fork down, pushing the plate away. "We should really get ready for tonight. Someone has to keep watch by the bridge, someone needs to be in the center of the village, able to go any which way at a moment's notice, and someone should be making rounds. Having someone moving around should help while keeping people stationed in certain areas."

"What's the point if we're just observing and not doing anything?" asked Naruto. "Might as well stay in bed."

"Because what if something happens?" said Sakura. "We need to be ready. We think tomorrow is the real target but we don't know for sure."

Naruto rested his chin on the table. It seemed like more busy work. Even if it was cooler at night, Naruto still didn't want to spend his time outside people-watching when he could have been in bed. It just seemed pointless.

And it was. The shadows came and went without incident. After they had left, everyone went to bed. Sakura went into her private room and the boys went into their shared room. Sai didn't say a word to any of them and went to his bed and curled up under the blanket. Neji said a quick good-night to them and went under the covers.

Naruto couldn't sleep. He felt so restless. He wasn't satisfied with what they had decided at dinner. He knew Sai wasn't out of his mind. He had a gut feeling that Sai was the only one who knew what was really going on. He just needed a way to prove it. Even if he did, they probably wouldn't listen to him any way. Sai wasn't the only thing on his mind this evening. Naruto was also thinking about those stories. A lot of them had the White Tiger in them. For some reason, Sai kept repeating those words. There must have been a reason for it. What was Sai trying to tell them? Was there a connection?

Naruto counted the stories off on his fingers as he lay in bed. The story of the White Tiger and the Rabbit, the Kite story, the Wandering Spirits, the Sage in the Tree, the Lady of the Moon. He blinked. Wasn't there a full moon tonight? According to that story, the Lady of the Moon appears when there's a full moon reflected in a body of water. Naruto looked out the window. The river ran right by their window. Could it be? Sakura and Neji and all the other villagers excluding Nozomu didn't believe these stories. They couldn't be real. If the Lady of the Moon appeared tonight then he would have his proof. The stories were true.

He faced the window, hoping to see something. He contemplated getting up for a better look when he saw something move. He gripped his sheets tightly only to release his hold when he found out it was only a leaf. He faced the ceiling wondering if she would come. On such a clear night there would have been a perfect reflection of the moon upon the water's surface. He hoped she would come. Now he knew how Nozomu must have felt, having only the stories to believe in and give him hope. Now Naruto was doing the same. If the stories were true, it would explain almost everything. He would also be able to use this to figure out what was going on in the village and maybe figure out how to solve all their problems. The Lady of the Moon was suppose to help out people who sought help. Maybe she would have the answers.

Just as Naruto began to feel drowsy, a light from outside cast itself upon the wall and moved away like the headlights of a speeding train. Naruto looked outside the window. The light came again and moved away. Naruto sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes to make sure he was awake. He stared out the window. From his position on the floor, it was difficult to see much of anything but the tops of the trees and the sky. He waited, holding his breath. The light came again moving a little slower this time.

Naruto shook Neji's shoulder. "Neji. Neji!"

"Nugh..?" Neji had been woken out of a sound sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Neji, wake up," Naruto hissed.

Thinking there was something wrong with the village, Neji started to sit up. "What is it? Did they return? The shadows?"

"No. Look." Naruto pointed out the window. "I saw a light. I think it might be the Lady of the Moon."

"The what?"

"She was in one of those stories. I think she's a spirit..."

Neji groaned loudly and flopped back down on the bed. Now that he knew it wasn't a threat, he wanted to go back to sleep. It was only more of Naruto's antics brought on by his ghost phobia.

"No, come on, Neji. I want you to come outside with me."

Neji hid under the covers.

"Neji!"

He swatted Naruto's hand away. "You're a big boy. I'm not keeping you company if you're scared. If you want to investigate, go out there by yourself and kindly leave me out of it." He buried his face in the pillow. Naruto continued to shove him, poking him in the spine with his relentless hand.

"No, I want you to come outside with me so you can see it for yourself."

"Naruto, there's no such thing as spirits. It's probably just someone's flashlight. Or the wind."

"That's why I want you to come outside and see for yourself. This way you'll believe me."

"Take Sai with you and leave me alone."

"He's not the one who doesn't believe me. Now come on." Naruto grabbed his arm and started to pull him out of bed.

"Fine!" Neji threw off the blanket. "If it will get you to leave me alone, I'll show you that it's all in your head."

Neji barely had time to put something on his feet. Naruto kept dragging him every step of the way. He wouldn't let go of Neji's arm, perhaps fearing that he would run back to the safety of his warm bed the moment he did. They stepped outside into the cool night air. It was still fairly warm but the cool air made Naruto shiver. They hurried across the dust-like dirt and straw grass to the other side of the inn where the river flowed. And there they found...

… nothing.

"Huh?" Naruto let go of Neji's arm and ran to the riverbank. There was the moon's reflection, but where was the Lady? Naruto looked at the bridge and up and down the river. He looked back at the inn and across the river at the forest. No one was there. They were all alone.

"Good-night, Naruto." Neji turned back and started to walk back to the inn.

"No, no, wait! She'll be here! I'm sure of it." Naruto called into the water. "Psst! Miss Lady of the Moon? Come out pretty please?"

"Naruto, there's no one there and you look insane."

"Don't mind him. My friend's just being a jerk. He's really harmless."

"I'm going back to bed. Search all night if you want for fairy tales." Neji started to walk away.

Naruto grabbed his arm. "No! If I find her, you have to see her, too. That way, you'll know what's really going on. If you don't see her, it's all pointless."

"This is pointless, Naruto. Get it through your thick skull that there's no one there. There's no one in the water. There's no lady. I'm not staying out here for another minute. Good luck without me."

"Please, please, please!" Naruto pulled Neji back with all his strength. Neji wouldn't come easily. He gave Naruto a few quick jabs in the arm, paralyzing his muscles and causing him to let go. Naruto held on with his other arm while he waited for the other one to recover. Neji was about to jab him again when Naruto kicked him. "Just for a minute! Please! One minute's not going to kill you."

"No, but if you keep this up, one of us is going to end up dead because I'm going to throttle you."

"Play nice."

"Let go of my arm!"

"Just stay and I will. Just for one minute! She only comes on a full moon. Like werewolves."

"Naruto, she's not coming. No one is coming, because they're just stories."

"Yeah, but if she's real then I can prove to you that they're not just stories and there is some truth to them. Maybe we'll be able to fix what's been going on in this village."

"Droughts are a natural occurrence. There's nothing magical about them."

"Maybe but we can ask her and make sure. We might even be able to figure out what's wrong with Sai and what made him this way. She's supposed to help you if you ask her something. She's supposed to be wise."

"It's just a story. They're not true. They're made up to entertain children."

"But when she comes-"

"Give it up, Naruto. She's not coming. No one is coming. There is no..." Neji looked at something over Naruto's shoulder and his jaw dropped. "Lady..."

Now that Neji had stopped struggling, Naruto was able to let go and turn around to see it for himself. He followed Neji's gaze to the river and his mouth fell open.

She was beautiful. This woman was absolutely stunning. She was by far the most beautiful woman Naruto had ever seen. It was obvious that she was not from this world. She stood on top of the water but her hair and garments continued to flow like ocean waves. Her hair was long and black, waving behind her like a long serpent. She wore silver robes which looked so delicate they may have shattered like glass if touched. Her fine clothing sparkled like stars, twinkling beautifully. The water reflecting her sparkling garment made the shimmering display seem endless. It was almost impossible to tell where her robes stopped and the sky began. There was no way to tell the stars apart. She was so pale. Her fair skin looked no different from the moon's light. She seemed to glow before them. Her eyes were dark, but friendly, calling them forward.

Naruto and Neji walked forward, staring at her. They stood on the riverbank, unable to speak. Naruto felt frozen but unafraid. Though he was intimidated by her beauty. He didn't know how to address her.

"I am the Lady of the Moon," she said. Her voice was like a harp.

Neji suddenly fell to his knees as if bowing to her. Naruto's knees wobbled but he forced himself to remain standing. But the more he looked at her, the more he felt as if he should bow to her. Just being near her made him feel this way.

"I... I, uh..." Naruto tried to speak. The words didn't come easy. It wasn't just her beauty, it was also the sense that she was so powerful. He was also overwhelmed knowing that he had proven the stories to be true. They were real after all. Being in front of the Lady of the Moon was proof enough. If only the others were here to see this. The excitement he felt was enough to bring words to his lips. "My name's Naruto. And that guy on the ground there is Neji."

She giggled sweetly. Her laugh was like the tinkling of bells. It was lovely.

"I wanted to ask you a couple of things."

"It's been a while since a human has asked me a question." Her robes shimmered, reflecting stars in their eyes. She was like a jewel. Everything about this woman was amazing. She seemed sweet but powerful. Naruto felt like he had to be on his best behavior while she was in front of him. "However, I can only answer one question."

"Only one question?! Are you kidding?" Naruto, realizing what he had said, quickly threw up his hands. "Ah-ah-ah! Wait, wait! That wasn't my question."

She giggled again. "Yes, I know."

He looked down at Neji. "Can you believe this? Only one question! But I have so many!"

Neji didn't say anything. He was too busy staring at the Lady of the Moon.

"Take your time to decide," said the beautiful woman. "I understand how difficult it must be. You don't want to ask the wrong question."

Only one question. Just one single question. Only one.

Naruto didn't know how to handle that fact. He had so many things he wanted to ask. There were so many unanswered questions, so many things he was curious about and so much he wanted to confirm. Will he ever marry Sakura? Will they have kids? Will he become Hokage? Naruto knew he was going to become Hokage but it never hurt to ask anyway just to rub it in the other's faces when it was confirmed. But he had questions about this village as well. He wanted to know what was wrong with Sai. Everyone wanted the answer to that. But he also wanted to know why those shadow people kept appearing every night at the same time. He wanted to know why it wouldn't rain at this village and what he could do to change that. There was so much he wanted to know.

"Have you decided yet?"

"Just a second." Naruto paced the ground. This wasn't easy. How was he supposed to know what question to ask? If he asked her for the answer, then he just wasted his one question. He could ask her if he could be allowed to ask for more but he already knew the answer to that. He didn't want to waste his one question.

As a groove started to appear under his feet, Naruto listed a bunch of questions in his head and tried to narrow them down, ranking them based on their importance. But they were all important. How was he supposed to narrow them down? He needed to know why it wouldn't rain and how he could fix the problem. Their mission was to find out about the shadow people who kept appearing. Sai's condition was also important. Naruto had to know what was wrong with him and why he kept repeating the phrase 'white tiger'. He wanted to know if Sai knew about the bracelet in the well and why he reacted the way he did when he grabbed onto Ayaka's bone necklace.

Naruto stopped. Another question popped into his head. This was something no one had bothered to ask yet. Not even the villagers. No one. Naruto faced the Lady of the Moon, knowing which question to ask.

"What is your question?" she asked kindly.

Naruto's legs felt strange again. He felt as if he should kowtow before her. She was like a goddess. He resisted the urge and asked his question.

"There's this girl in the village. She's been sick for a long time. At least until she got a necklace from her dad. What I want to know is... Why does Ayaka get so sick? As long as she wears the necklace, she's fine. But without it..."

The Lady of the Moon smiled. Her black hair flowed behind her like waves. She gave him the answer in the form of a story.

"There was once a sage who was great and powerful, but very cruel and wicked. He was also very proud, believing no one was better and that he was more unique than anyone else. So much so that he cursed anyone who had the same name or birthday as him. No one would have anything he had. No one could be similar. No one was allowed to have the same coat as he wore. He boasted his power to every village he passed and was always quick to threaten with it. He frequently left his village to visit others in an attempt to gain more power. When he came across villages that had something of value, he would threaten them until he got his way. Being a sage, no one ever questioned his knowledge and always did as they were told. For every village he helped, he always demanded something in return. If they could not pay him his dues, the village would suffer.

"One day after returning from a village, the sage found himself lost. His carriage stopped in front of two stone lions which marked the gate into his village. However, no village stood behind the lions. Just empty flat land. This was impossible, he thought and decided to continue down another path. He knew his village was close by. It had to be. But the sage searched and searched and could never find his village. It was gone and he found himself getting more and more lost.

"Years passed and the sage grew very weak and sick. His carriage now gone and with nowhere to go, he found himself wandering the land, hopelessly lost and growing weaker by the day. At last he came upon two stone guardians by the mouth of a cave. 'allow me to enter,' he commanded them. The guardians shook themselves from their stone perches and answered him.

"'We will not permit you to enter,' they said. 'You will never change. You have not changed. Not since your journey began and not now, not ever. You will always be a cruel selfish person doing things and seeking power for all the wrong reasons. We cannot allow you to enter this village. We, along with the spirit of this village, have managed to keep the peace for all these years and we will not have you come here and ruin it. Enough of your cruelty. Begone from here at once.'

"The sage ranted and raved. He always had to have his way. He had nowhere else to go. He couldn't survive more travels. He had to gain entrance to this village, but the guardians would not let him pass. 'I am powerful and wise! I am a sage! You do not order me around!'

"'As powerful as you are, you are still not a spirit. We will always be more powerful than you. Even after all this time, you still have not attained a spirit's power. The one thing you always wanted.'

"Unable to enter the village, the sage fled. Not too long after, the sage died. But his rage and cruelty never left. Though his body could no longer move, the sage remained in this world and at last became a spirit. An evil spirit which is still trying to enter the village he was denied entrance to, even to this day. The only thing keeping him at bay are the guardians which continue to guard the village and protect its people. And that sage became known as the man who became a spirit," the Lady of the Moon finished.

Naruto hung on her every word. When she was finished, he became confused. "But that doesn't explain why Ayaka gets so sick."

"Remember the story," she told him. "The sage was so proud, he didn't want anyone to share even a birthday with him."

"Ok." Naruto waited, thinking she was going to continue. When she didn't he knew that meant that she was giving him a clue. He had to think of the answer himself based off of that. "Um... No one could... Oh! Then does that mean... Does that mean that Ayaka shares a birthday with that sage guy?"

The Lady of the Moon nodded.

"Then... so if he's a spirit... then he's been making her sick just to spite her? Well that's mean. But then why wasn't she always sick? It just happened a few years ago."

"She needed the guardians' protection. Without them, the spirit of the sage could enter. His curse could reach her and make her sick. As long as they are there to stop him, she'll be fine."

"So the guardians are missing. That explains it." The tiger bone must have been a substitute. The bone acted as a shield and was protecting her since the guardians couldn't. That explained why she got so sick. So if the guardians were to return, then she would no longer need the bone and would become healthy again.

Then something else occurred to Naruto.

"Hey, I asked more than one question."

"I didn't count those ones because they helped answer your true question. Think of them as steps on a ladder."

"Oh." Naruto chuckled weakly. "Thanks."

"If you wish for her to get well and stay healthy, return the guardians to their rightful place where they can protect her."

Once again, Naruto felt an overwhelming desire to kneel at her feet. Resisting as his knees began to bend, he asked, "But how do I do that? Who are the guardians and where do I find them?"

"I'm sorry," she said as she began to sink back into the moon's reflection. "I can only answer one question. But I know you will find the answer yourself. You seem pretty open-minded."

Naruto watched her slip little by little into the water until only her face was visible. "Uh, thanks for answering my question," Naruto said quickly. She winked at him, smiled, and sank below the water and was gone. Now only the moon remained.

Naruto felt as if he had been dreaming. The whole experience seemed too unreal. If only she had left something behind as proof. At least he had Neji as his eye-witness. Just as he thought of that, Neji began to crawl towards the water.

"Neji?"

He reached for the moon's reflection, getting closer and closer to the water. Was he trying to follow her?

"Neji, are you trying to drown yourself?" Naruto jumped up and started to pull him away from the river. He remembered what the innkeeper had said about men drowning when they tried to follow her. He wasn't about to let Neji become another victim. "Stop it, Neji. Come on, get away from there."

Neji's eyes were locked on the moon. His unblinking eyes sparkled, reflecting the starry sky waving in the water. He didn't appear to be listening to a word Naruto said. He kept trying to reach the water, ignoring Naruto's pulling.

"Neji, snap out of it!" Naruto slapped him across the face.

Neji's eyes shut tight and flung open again. He blinked, and then again. He held a hand to his stinging face. "Ow..!" He blinked a third time, looking around with a confused look on his face. "What were we doing out here again?"

"What?"

"We came out here to do something... What were we looking for again?"

Naruto was very confused. "You mean the Lady of the Moon?"

"Oh, yeah. That's what it was." Neji stood up. "Wait out here if you want, but I'm going back to bed."

"What do you mean wait out here?"

"If you want to find her so bad, you can look for her by yourself. Don't wake me up again." Neji started back to the inn, leaving Naruto by the river.

"But... But we..."

"I said I'm going to bed. You're free to look all you want but I doubt something from an old legend will appear. I'm not waiting out here with you. I'm going back to bed. I don't know how much clearer I can make this. I'm not wasting my time, I don't care how much you beg me. Good luck finding her."

"But... but we... she was just..." Naruto watched Neji walk away without another word. Naruto tilted his head to the side, confused. Neji didn't remember seeing her? The Lady of the Moon was just there a moment ago talking to them. She was there! Right in front of him! Naruto knew Neji had seen her. Had he forgotten her already? Naruto remembered the look on Neji's face when he had lain eyes on her. He seemed mesmerized by her beauty. Now Neji had no memory of her. It was as if nothing had happened while Neji was wrapped in her spell. Everything from the moment they came outside to the moment she left had been wiped clean from his memory. Naruto wondered why he remembered her and not Neji. Why was Neji spellbound and not him? Naruto was tempted to remind him of what had happened but thought better about it. He was afraid if he jogged Neji's memory, he may try to follow the Lady of the Moon back into the water and drown.

Naruto looked back at the river, watching the moon shimmer on the water's clear surface. He remembered seeing her. She was definitely real. But Neji acted as if nothing had happened and the Lady of the Moon left nothing behind as proof. As he watched the moon wave at him from the river, Naruto began to wonder if the whole thing had been nothing more than a dream. Naruto shook his head, knowing the incident was real. It truly happened. He was given a story as well as an answer. Now he knew why Ayaka became so sick and what needed to be done to prevent her illness from coming back.

He had a new mission which he had to see to while on his current one. He had to find out what happened to the guardians and find some way to get them to come back.

As Naruto went back into the inn, he found himself filled with even more questions than before. Why did the guardians leave? Where did they go? How could he get them to come back? What did they look like? Who were they? Where and how could he find them?

Naruto went back into the room and climbed into bed between Sai and Neji. "Have you given up?" Neji asked softly.

Naruto didn't answer him. He hadn't given up. Far from it. He never gave up. He just needed to come up with a plan. His mission was clear: find a way to get the guardians to come back.

* * *

Where could the guardians be?

Please review! ^-^


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: **

The village was full of excitement the next morning. Naruto was afraid to leave the inn with so many people scurrying around. People were getting the sedan chair ready for the bride. Right now it was parked outside her house with four men dressed in matching shirts. The groom was nowhere to be found but it was obvious that he was running around making sure everything was set up perfectly. The food was just about finished and the last minute touches were put on anything they had left. The whole village came out and were lining the streets holding baskets of flowers. Everyone was dressed up for the wedding. Even the boy with torn, dirt-splattered pants, Nozomu, was dressed in his best clothes. Sakura hadn't packed anything pretty to change into but she tried to make herself presentable. She made sure she was cleaned up, borrowed some perfume and fastened a flower to her hair. Even if it was a subtle touch, Naruto thought it made her look very pretty. Everyone had come out for the wedding. Even Sai. He stood beside the other ninja watching everything with indifference. Maybe that was because his toad friend was not attending. Sai had a strange way of looking content as well as lost at the same time.

Sakura bounced, pointing to the sedan chair which was rising off the ground by the four men carrying it with mock discipline. Ayaka must have already been inside. Sakura seemed very excited as the chair made its way down the road, showered with flower petals thrown by the guests. Neji seemed distracted, looking around while the wedding was starting. He seemed to be looking around for anyone who wished to harm the girl on the other side of those red curtains.

The crowd cheered and called their well-wishes to the bride as the men marched down the street. Sakura stood on her toes, watching the sedan chair get further away. Neji moved ahead slowly, keeping an eye out for danger. Naruto turned to see what Sai thought of everything. He seemed to be off in his own little world while the people cheered and clapped.

"Aren't you enjoying yourself, Sai?" Naruto asked. "Sai?" Naruto had to turn him to get him to look his way. Sai looked at Naruto as if seeing him in a fog. Then Sai's gaze averted, staring at the ground instead.

"Your friend seems lost."

Naruto looked around and saw the old woman who entertained the children with her stories. Naruto was happy to see her, like seeing an old relative. "Hi, granny," he said.

The woman was watching Sai with concerned eyes. "Is he feeling alright? Is he ill?"

Naruto looked at him, unsure how to answer that. "Uh... Well, he's sick in the head, I can tell you that." He looked back at the old woman. She seemed amused.

"He's not very talkative, is he?"

"Most of the time, we try to get him to shut up." Again, she looked amused. "So," said Naruto, "How long do these wedding things usually last?"

"The whole thing could take hours. But don't worry. There's plenty of food."

"Yeah, when do we get to that?"

The old woman laughed. "In due time, boy. They have to exchange their I-dos first."

"White tiger," Sai mumbled.

The woman looked thrilled. "Oh, you know the tales of the White Tiger, do you? How lovely. Then it's a good thing if you are lost. He'll help you. Just like he did for the lost guardians."

Guardians? Were they the same ones who had disappeared allowing Ayaka to get sick? Maybe this would explain where they went.

"What about them? Tell me, granny." Naruto turned his back to the parade giving her his undivided attention. He was eager for answers. He had to know what happened to them so he could bring them back. Lucky for him, the woman was happy to tell him the story.

"One night, the white tiger was walking through the forest back to his home. Along the way, he came across a flat stretch of land. How odd, thought the white tiger and went to investigate. As he stepped onto the land, he noticed two guardians perched on stone looking distraught. 'who are you?' asked the white tiger.

"'We are the guardians of the village' answered the one of the left.

"The white tiger looked around at the empty land. 'what village?' he asked.

"'Exactly!' Cried the one on the right. 'Our village is gone and we do not know what to do. We are guardians but if we do not have a village to guard, we have nothing!'

"'That's correct', said his brother. 'It's our job to protect it from harm, but since our village disappeared in the dead of night, we have nothing to protect. We have no purpose and no home. We do not know what to do.'

"The white tiger thought and came up with an idea. 'You can come with me. Since I am alone now, I will need companionship. You may watch my cave. That is my home and it is near a village with many humans. I think you will be very happy guarding my cave. We can help each other. I watch over the village of humans, you can watch over my cave and you shall have a home and no longer be lost.'

"The two brothers looked at each other and were in agreement. 'Yes, we shall accompany you and guard your home.' And so the guardian spirits followed the white tiger back to his home and perched themselves on either side of his cave door and there they've sat ever since." The old woman took in a breath. "And that's the story of the Lost Guardians."

Naruto soaked it all in and tried to think. They were lost but then they found a new home. Did that mean they weren't lost anymore? Did he have to travel to find the White Tiger's home and get them to return to that other place? No, that place was gone, which was why they followed the White Tiger to his home. Then they weren't lost anymore. They were watching over the village. Then where did they go this time? Naruto was very confused. Why would the guardians leave if they had a new home? Where would they go?

"Grandma, are you telling him those stories?" Haruki stood beside her wearing a suit. His tie was crooked and he was sweating under the hot sun. Or maybe it was because of his nerves. He appeared to be shaking. "I love your tales, but couldn't it wait for a little bit? I'm so nervous. I can't stop shaking."

"Then the stories will calm you down."

"That's not what I need." Haruki was trying to fix his tie but he only made it worse.

"Sake might help."

"Not before the wedding, Grandma!"

"Here, here. Stop fussing and hold still." The old woman fixed Haruki's tie. "You look great. You'll be fine."

"I'm still freaking out. I don't know if I can handle this. I love her, but what if she's not happy with me? What if I can't take care of her?"

"Haruki, we went over this with your mother last night. You'll be fine. She loves you and that's all that matters. Don't worry so much. A lot of time and energy went into this. Don't let us down after all the hard work everyone did."

He bit his lips and tried to stop his hands from shaking. The old woman held his hands.

"Relax. Everything will be fine. Your worries are over nothing." She turned him around and shoved him toward the street where most of the decorations were set up. "Now go get married already!" Haruki stumbled but managed to make it to where the parents were standing. That must have been where the wedding vows would take place.

When Naruto looked back, Sai was wandering away. Just as the sedan chair was arriving, too. Ayaka was beginning to pull back the curtain and step out but Naruto didn't have time to see as he hurried to catch up to Sai. He heard clapping behind him as the bride stepped out and went to stand by her groom. Sai was walking down the road, going around buildings as if he were trying to find someone's house. He put his hands on the walls and peeked in windows.

"Sai, what are you doing?" Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Why did you run off like that?"

Sai didn't answer and looked at the sky. Couldn't he hear Naruto's voice?

"Sai!" This time he turned. Naruto's grip loosened. "What are you looking for?" Convinced that Sai had not lost his mind, he wanted to give Sai a chance. He must have been looking for something. He helped Naruto find the bracelet after all. Maybe he knew where the guardians were, too. "Can I help?"

Sai blinked.

"Can I help you find whatever it is you're looking for?"

Sai turned away and started to make his way down one of the streets. Naruto followed. He led Naruto through different streets and up the hill to where the farm stood. Naruto hurried. Sai went into the stable and Naruto grew excited.

"Are they in here? Is this where they are?" Naruto started to look in different stalls but he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Sai was looking, not at the animals but at the different objects in the stable. He was looking at the tools, the ropes, the saddles, the horseshoes and the buckets. Naruto had a feeling Sai wasn't leading him to the guardians at all. "What are you looking for?"

"What are _you_ looking for?" Neji appeared in the doorway with his arms folded. "Why are you in here?"

"Uh..." Naruto pointed at Sai. "He was showing me..."

"Naruto, Sai isn't in his right mind. Don't listen to him." Neji grabbed Sai's arm and dragged him out of the stable. "Come on. Let's get back to the wedding. I need everyone nearby in case anything happens."

By the time they had returned, the bride and groom had already shared their first kiss and everyone was invited for the huge banquette. The lids were lifted off large trays and bowls of food and drinks were being poured. Naruto forgot all about his mission and chose instead to eat. The delicious smell of food was far too tempting. He ran up to the first table he could find and reached for a dumpling.

Sakura slapped his hand. "Not yet!" She gestured to the happy couple at the decorated table under a large tarp, shading them from the hot sun. Ayaka was in a red dress embroidered with a gold and silver dragon and phoenix. Naruto could have sworn she was in a wedding dress before. She looked very pretty, wearing just the right amount of makeup, her hair done up with sparkling jewels, and the tiger bone dangling from her slender neck. She and Haruki seemed to be pouring tea together. This must have been part of the ceremony. No one could eat until it was finished.

Naruto stomach growled and he eyed the food longingly. There was so much tasty-looking food here. Bird's nest soup, roasted chicken, lobster in a white sauce, steamed fish, dumplings, stir-fried vegetables with crunchy water chestnuts which seemed to glow under the bright sun, and crispy brown duck. Further down, Naruto could see glossy red sweet and sour pork, noodles and fried rice. Naruto swallowed, his mouth watering nonstop. He glanced up. The tea ceremony was still going. This was taking forever. His stomach growled again. If he took one piece, it shouldn't hurt. He reached for the plates and was slapped away again by Sakura. When he tried a third time, she held up a fist and he put his arms down at his sides.

Finally the tea ceremony was over and everyone could eat. Naruto piled his plate high with food. He ate as he filled his plate unable to wait. It tasted so good! The people who cooked boasted about their dishes and the man who got the lobster shared his hardship in getting it. He had to travel out of the village for it since they didn't live near the ocean. Naruto didn't care what the man had to go through to get it as long as it tasted good.

There were plenty of desserts, too, in addition to the wedding cake. On a round table with a white cloth, Naruto found uiro, manju, mochi and even taiyaki. On such a hot day, Naruto wished for ice cream. He settled for the iced plum juice instead.

Most of the wedding was a blur. There were speeches made, but Naruto didn't pay any attention. The cake was cut and the new couple got the first piece. Naruto had his chance to taste it when cut pieces were passed around. Vanilla cake with whipped frosting and sliced fruit as garnishes. By this time, Haruki seemed to have calmed down and was enjoying himself. Ayaka seemed very happy. When it was time to throw the bouquet, all the young single women and girls gathered around behind the bride. Sakura pushed Neji out of the way when he tried to stop her from taking part and stood behind the other women. She could have easily caught the flowers with her skills but she decided to play it fair. Ayaka tossed the flowers and the women screamed and jumped with their hands in the air. Children stood on chairs, trying to reach it. A teenager caught the flowers and waved them around in the air, squealing joyfully. The villagers applauded and laughed.

The food was almost completely finished and the cake was long gone, having just enough to feed everyone. By the end of the feast, Naruto was so full he could barely move. He watched as everyone danced and played games. Naruto noticed it wasn't as hot as it was before and realized that it was sunset. The wedding had gone on for hours. The parents were carrying their children home and getting them ready for bed. Sakura was talking to Ayaka and Neji was still looking around for danger. Naruto looked around, realizing he had lost Sai. He looked around from his chair and spotted him walking along the riverbank. Sai could easily stand in the water and still have air to breathe. The river wasn't that deep. Naruto wasn't very worried about him.

Sakura took a seat by Naruto and pointed at Sai. "You shouldn't let him wander around like that. He's very unstable."

"Ah, he's fine."

"A full stomach can make you careless," she warned.

"Then you go get him if you're so worried."

Sakura huffed, turning away. Then she started to smile as she thought of something. "It really was a nice wedding. The traditions they go through and the family traditions they blend together so everyone gets a little something from the other. It's nice. Ah, it would have been nice to catch the bouquet, though."

"That means you would be the next person to get married," Naruto commented. "But if that's what you want, I guess I have no choice but to..."

"Oh, shut up. Like we'd ever be married to each other." Sakura looked at the sunset. "My future husband will be handsome."

"That hurts, Sakura." Then Naruto smiled. "That' fine. When I become Hokage, I'll have plenty of girls chasing me down. I'm just saying you'd have a better chance now before that happens. When I become Hokage, you'll have to stand in line with the others who have fallen madly in love with me."

Sakura was about to say something when there was a loud splash from the river and Sai disappeared. "Sai!"

"Where'd he go?"

Naruto and Sakura jumped up and ran to the river. Sai came bursting out of the water when they reached the riverbank. He climbed out of the water, shaking his head like a dog. Water fell from his hair and clothes like shooting stars. He threw his arms into the air, holding something over his head triumphantly. "Found it!" he cried.

* * *

What could it be?

Please review! ^-^


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**:

Sakura and Naruto hurried to the riverbank to help Sai out of the water. They grabbed him and pulled him onto the dry yellow grass, but he did not seem to notice. He was too busy clutching something in his hands to even hear Sakura's worried voice.

"Why did you jump into the water like that, Sai? What were you thinking? Are you hurt?"

He was smiling like a child on their birthday. He looked very pleased with himself. Naruto tried to take a look at the object he fished out of the river, but he couldn't see it clearly. Sai had his hands wrapped around it tightly. Whatever it was, it was dripping just as much water as Sai.

Neji came rushing over, looking worried. "What is it? What happened?"

"Oh, nothing. Sai just jumped into the river," answered Sakura. She had a firm grip on Sai's shoulder and arm, making sure he didn't dive back in.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore and tried to pry Sai's hands apart to take a look at what he had. "Sai, let me see what you have there." Sai happily held out his hands, showing Naruto the retrieved object.

It was an old wicker basket. At least, what was left of one. It was full of holes, was missing its handle and was falling apart, ruined from the river and time. Still, Sai held it as if it were made of gold.

Neji sighed. He was expecting something else, but it turned out to be another one of Sai's eccentricities. With no threat present, Neji started to turn away. "The couple are going to be entering the inn soon. I'm going to stay as close as possible. Sakura, I could use your help. Naruto, I want you to take Sai back to the inn. Make sure he stays there. And try to dry him off if you can."

Sai was sopping wet, water falling from his body in delicate streams. Sai still didn't seem to notice. Even while standing in the puddle he made. Naruto took Sai by the arm and led him back to the inn with a groan. Sai's soaked shoes squeaked behind him, follow at the same pace. The parched ground soaked up the water from Sai's dripping body eagerly.

Inside, Naruto saw that Sai wasn't going to dry himself off, leaving Naruto to do it for him. Naruto grabbed a towel and unwillingly started to rub Sai dry. Naruto grimaced, hating this. Sai just sat there, letting Naruto do all the work. Naruto threw the damp towel over Sai's head and vigorously started rubbing his hair dry.

"You could help a little, Sai. It's not like I want to do this, you know."

He lifted the towel off Sai, revealing his tousled mess of hair and bright smile.

Naruto groaned again. "Come on, we gotta towel off your hands, too." He reached for the object in Sai's hands and Sai pulled away. "Sai?"

He held the remains of the old wicker basket close to his body. The very same way he had seen Nozomu hold the tiger's bone when Naruto tried to take it. Whatever this piece of garbage was, it was important to Sai. Sai's face brightened up and he smiled proudly. He set the damp object back on his lap and sat there, grinning.

Naruto couldn't read him, no matter how hard he tried. Every time he thought he understood him, he was proven wrong. Naruto sat back, studying him. "Hmm..." Sai was just sitting on the floor, proudly holding the broken basket in his lap. What was Sai trying to tell him through body language? Naruto tilted his head to the side. Sai stared. Naruto tilted his head to the other side. Sai still stared. "Ugh, you're impossible to figure out..." Naruto hung his head.

Just then he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Naruto crawled to the door and stuck his head out. Haruki and Ayaka were being escorted to their room for the night. After the innkeeper had them situated, he left. Neji and Sakura were saying something to the new couple, but Naruto couldn't make it out. They were too far away, talking in hushed tones. Naruto stood up and crept down the hall, trying to hear them better.

"If anything happens, call for help. We'll come at once."

"Don't worry. You're in good hands. We'll be nearby if you need anything at all. Ok?"

Ayaka and Haruki were nodding. "Thank you for your help." Haruki took Ayaka's hand and closed the door, sealing themselves inside.

"So what's going on?" Naruto whispered.

"We just finished telling them what's going to happen tonight," said Neji. "I'm going to be on the roof, keeping an eye out from up there. Sakura's going to be coming in and out tonight. She'll be in the village, moving around."

"Ok, what do I do?"

"Naruto, maybe you should stay inside and look after Sai."

"What?! No way!" If there was any chance of seeing action tonight, Naruto was not going to stay inside and miss it. "If Sakura's going to be in and out, then she can look after Sai! Why does it have to be me?"

"I never said you would be inside all night. I was thinking more of shifts. While Sakura's outside, you will be inside. Plus, you can use your clones and cover more ground whether or not you're inside the building."

Naruto folded his arms. "Either way, I'm stuck babysitting the little weirdo."

"Hey, you weren't around when we came up with this plan. You never listen anyway." Neji took a step back. "Ok, let's get into position. I'll be on the roof."

"I'll start outside, covering the far area by the farm," said Sakura.

Naruto watched them leave with a pout. "Some mission this turned out to be. They won't let me do anything." He started back to their room. He paused, seeing Sai staring at him from the doorway. "What?"

"Lost."

Naruto sighed and entered the room, closing the door. "No, I'm not feeling lost."

"Lost."

Naruto sat on the floor to be at eye level with Sai who was still sitting on the floor. "I hear what you're saying but I don't understand you. I wish you'd make sense."

Sai held up the basket. "Lost."

"Yeah, but you found it in the river." Naruto was beginning to have doubts about Sai knowing what was really going on. Maybe Sakura and Neji were right and Sai really didn't know what he was saying.

Then Naruto started thinking. Sai was walking around the village as if he were looking for something. Was he looking for that basket all along? Or maybe he just happened upon it by chance and claimed he found it. Naruto scratched his head. Did Sai just find that basket and said he found it just for the sake of saying it or was he really looking for it? If that were the case, then why would Sai be looking for it in the first place? Sai didn't have a wicker basket. No one in the village seemed to have lost it. If anyone did, Naruto hadn't heard anything about it.

Sai moved closer holding up the basket, interrupting Naruto's thoughts. "Lost."

"Yeah, but you found it."

"White tiger."

Naruto sighed heavily. "Why do you keep saying that? What about it?"

Sai only stared, holding up the wicker basket. After a moment, he repeated himself. "White tiger."

Naruto sat closer. Sai must have been trying to tell him something. "White tiger? Ok, what about him? You mean from the stories, right?"

Sai's unwavering stare was Naruto's only answer.

"Ok, ok... Let's see... White tiger, white tiger..." Naruto tried to think. He hated riddles. He was never any good at them. He kept staring back at Sai, hoping for another hint. Sai didn't speak. Naruto's gaze drifted down to the basket in his hands. "White tiger... Hmm... White tiger..."

He thought about Sai's reaction when he had Ayaka's necklace in his hands. His demeanor had changed. That bone seemed important somehow. Ayaka's father said it had healing powers which was why Ayaka was healthy. But she would have been healthy if the guardians hadn't left, allowing the sage's curse to reach her. He still had no idea who these guardians were supposed to be or what they looked like. According to the story, they had agreed to help the white tiger in exchange for a new home. The white tiger took them in.

"But didn't the white tiger also take in some other spirits, too? Wandering spirits?"

Ayaka said that it was believed that people can become wandering spirits if they had no graves and no place to return to. In the story, these spirits had become wandering spirits because they couldn't find their home. The spirits had told the white tiger that another village now stood in its place.

"Which sounds a lot like the Kite story I heard the old woman tell. Kites dropped a village somewhere on the other side of a river where the sage couldn't find them."

On the other side of a river. Naruto tilted his head. This village sat on the other side of a river, too. So did the village that was tormented by the white tiger. But that village was destroyed by the sage because they wouldn't pay him. Could they have been the same village?

"Wait a minute. The village that had the white tiger problem was wiped out. The sage's village was dropped somewhere else on the other side of a river. Like the first village. Then the wandering spirits showed up because they couldn't find their village saying a new one stood in its place. Could that..? Does that mean the wandering spirits from that story were the people from the village that was wiped out? And the white tiger took them in because he had something from their old village. But what could that be?"

The people from that village feared the white tiger because of how it attacked on a whim. The white tiger could have taken any number of things from their village. Since the villagers feared the white tiger, it wasn't as if they would have given anything to him.

Unless it were a peace offering. Or a bribe. Or a gift. Except for the rabbit they gave to the white tiger which he became good friends with and loved. That rabbit came from the village. Which the villagers presented to the white tiger in a wicker basket.

Naruto's eyes fell on the item in Sai's hands and grew wide. "The villagers gave the white tiger a rabbit in a wicker basket. The basket was from their village. Before it was destroyed... so that basket would be the only thing remaining of their old village. So then... they're..?"

Looking for their home. Wandering spirits needed something from their home in order to find peace and have a place to rest.

Wandering spirits... wandering around, looking for their home... Looking...

Much like the shadows which appeared every night in the village and wandered around, as if searching for something.

Naruto jumped to his feet and grabbed Sai's arm. "Come on!"

Naruto didn't need to drag Sai along. He came willingly and followed close behind the blond ninja, carrying the basket in his hands. Naruto sprinted out the door and into the dark. Night had already fallen. It must have been close to that time. He hurried to the bridge and stood on the wooden boards. Sai stood on his right, completely silent. He handed Naruto the basket. Naruto took it from him and held it in his left hand. It was still damp and felt soft and delicate. Naruto tried not to handle it too much, fearing it would fall apart.

Taking a deep breath, he faced forward and waited for the shadows to emerge from the forest.

Time ticked by slowly. The light from the village at their backs cast long shadows on the wooden bridge in front of them. The only other light came from the cloudless sky above them. Naruto peered over his shoulder on occasion to look at the village. He could see the inn from where he stood and wondered if Neji could see them from where he sat on the roof. Naruto looked at Sai who was standing as still as a statue beside him staring into the forest. Naruto stared with him, knowing they would come.

He swallowed. What would he do when they came? Would they try to hurt him? Would they think he stole the basket from them? Would they drag him away, never to be seen again? Naruto looked at the broken basket in his hand and tried to calm himself. The shadows seemed harmless enough, but all this evidence pointed to them being ghosts after all. Even if they didn't attack, Naruto still found them frightening. He was also filled with doubt. What if this didn't work? What if this solved nothing? What if it made everything worse? He still couldn't see how this would bring rain to the village. What if it was wrong to give them the basket? What if they still needed it? Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Naruto felt so conflicted. He wanted to help, but he had no answers. His only hope was to solve this puzzle using guess work. Nothing was for certain. He kept picturing different outcomes in his mind, most of which were negative, and started second guessing himself. If it wasn't the fear of making matters worse, it was fear of the ghosts haunting this village. Part of him wanted to turn back. Partly out of fear, partly from uncertainty and partly to ask others for help. He was confident in a fight but this situation was different. How was he supposed to face this? When the shadows did appear, what was he expected to do? He didn't have any answers. He just didn't want to screw this up and ruin everything for these people and his friends.

Naruto felt a hand slip into his right. He looked down. Sai was holding his hand. The emotionless face and round eyes staring back at him somehow chased away his uncertainties and filled him with confidence. Sai believed in him and trusted Naruto to do the right thing. He knew Naruto wouldn't mess this up.

Thanks to Sai's wordless encouragement, Naruto nodded and faced the forest again.

Slowly, a group of dark figures emerged from the trees and lumbered toward the bridge. Naruto's legs shook, wanting to run to safety, but Naruto forced himself to stay. He took in several deep breaths to keep himself calm but he couldn't stop his shaking.

The shadows approached the river's edge and stopped. One of the shadows stepped onto the bridge and walked froward, staring at Naruto. This shadow was was almost as large as Ayaka's father. It towered over Naruto, intimidating him. Naruto's knees buckled. He wanted to say something but no words came from his throat. Not even a whimper. If he could make any noise at all, it might have been a scream. This shadow person was within arm's reach, towering over him. Without a face to read, Naruto had no way of knowing what sort of expression this creature may have been wearing. He couldn't tell if it was angry or sad or happy.

Naruto felt Sai move and pried his eyes away to look at him. Sai had his eyes on Naruto, giving him an expectant look. Then Naruto became aware of the object in his other hand and started moving again. "Uh..." He still couldn't speak, but he held out the wicker basket to the shadowy figure.

The shadow stood motionless. The shadows behind it did the same, as if paralyzed. Then it held up its dark hand and reached for the basket. As it got closer, Naruto noticed its hand was beginning to take shape. Its fingers touched the wicker basket. On contact, the darkness from its hand started to fade away. It was as if someone were erasing the blackness from its body. The darkness receded up its arm and to the rest of its body. A shadow figure no longer stood in front of Naruto. Now he was looking at a man. A human dressed in old clothing, slightly scorched and singed in places, with dark hair and freckles. Naruto looked behind him at the other shadows. The darkness was erased from their bodies and now stood before the river's edge as people. It was still obvious that these people were no longer living, pale and intangible; but now Naruto could see who they really were.

The man took the basket from Naruto's hand and held it. Then he smiled. He lowered his head in a grateful nod and backed away. The man returned to the others, showing them the basket. Children in charred clothing bounced over, crowding around the broken basket, mouths open in muted laughter while the adults pressed closer, smiling. They turned their backs to the bridge and started back the way they came. Naruto watched them move closer to the forest and, just before the trees, they vanished. The no-longer shadow people faded away with the wicker basket, never entering the village.

Once they were gone, Naruto started breathing again and staggered back. "Did that really just happen?"

Sai smiled and pulled his hand free from Naruto's. He gave the forest one final look then started to walk back into the village.

Still slightly shaken up, Naruto hurried after him. He jogged to catch up to Sai and followed closely. "So... that's it? Did I do that right? They just took it? Is that ok? They're fine now?"

Sai continued to smile, as if they had accomplished something great. Naruto stopped asking him questions. Judging from Sai's expression and body language, they had done the right thing and solved the problem. The shadow people won't be coming back. Naruto gave a sigh of relief and started smiling along with Sai.

When they reached the inn, Sai once again stopped in front of the stone lions and bowed his head before entering. Naruto started to follow him inside, then paused. "Wait a minute..." He took a few steps back and looked at the stone lions guarding the entrance. "Guarding..."

The stories started to play back through Naruto's mind again. Twin guardian spirits denied the sage when he wanted to gain the power of a spirit. They turned away the old sage when he tried to enter the village, saying he was too dangerous and unworthy. They protected a village which had vanished in the night, causing the white tiger to take pity on them and gave them a new home to protect. Twin lion guardian spirits now sat in front of the white tiger's cave on the other side of the river near the village.

"If this village is the same one from the story that was taken away by the kites and dropped... then that cave we saw was..." Naruto backed away from the stone lions, staring at them. "Don't tell me... Are you the lost guardians?"

The lions didn't respond and sat on their stone perches.

He couldn't believe it. Here they were. These were the missing guardians. They had to be. The innkeeper said he found them near a cave. The white tiger brought them to his cave. The cave on the other side of the river must have belonged to the white tiger. The innkeeper must have taken these stone lions from that cave and placed them here. Without them there, Ayaka became sick. These were the missing guardians.

"You are, aren't you?" The lions didn't answer him. "It's ok. You don't need to say it. I know you are. I'm sure of it."

Naruto sat on the ground in front of them. He waited for them to move or give him some sign, but they wouldn't budge. He looked from one to the other. They looked like they were roaring. Now that Naruto looked at them, they seemed rather upset. Not quite sad or angry. Just upset. Like they were taken from their home and placed somewhere else. They knew they didn't belong here.

"I know how you guys must feel. You want to get back to your home but you can't. You're stuck here. You can't move. Sucks, huh?"

The cave wasn't too far away. There was no reason why Naruto couldn't bring them back himself. He could conjure up a few clones to help him and carry them back to the cave right now. It would be so easy.

There was a problem with that, however. If he brought the stone lions back to the cave, the villagers might think he was stealing again. Besides, there was nothing stopping the innkeeper from taking the stone lions back. He did it once, he could do it again. Naruto had to make sure the stone guardians would remain there, even after they left. It was the only way to ensure that they wouldn't be taken away from their rightful home again.

"Don't worry," he told them. "I'll get you back to the cave where you belong. I'll take you back there. But I can't do it right now. I have to talk to the innkeeper first. I have to make sure he understands why you have to stay there and not in the village. If I don't, he'll just bring you back here. Just hang on a little longer, ok? I'll make him understand."

Neji peered over the side of the roof and looked down at Naruto. "Who are you talking to?"

"Uh..." He couldn't tell him the truth or he would think he was as crazy as Sai. "Uh... No one. Just muttering to myself."

"Where's Sai?"

"In there." Naruto pointed into the inn. "I made sure."

"Sakura's patrolling now so you should get back inside. Those figures should be here any second."

"But Neji, they're not..." Maybe he shouldn't tell Neji. Let him stay on the roof all night. He wouldn't listen to Naruto anyway. It would be a funny prank. Besides, Neji would only believe him if he saw it with his own eyes. He could tell him the truth in the morning. "You're the boss, Neji. See you inside." Naruto went inside, stifling his giggles at the image of Neji sitting on the roof all night looking for no one.

* * *

It was kind of sweet in a way, wasn't it? They can rest in peace.

Please review ^-^


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

The next morning, Naruto woke bright and early. Breakfast wasn't even being served yet. Naruto quickly threw off the covers, wanting to put his plan into action. He was expecting everyone to still be in bed or slowly getting ready for their day. To his surprise, Sai was already awake and staring at him. He was wearing a calm smile, looking at him with bright eyes. He seemed to be in a good mood.

"Good morning, Sai."

His smile deepened.

Naruto started to gather his clothes. He grabbed his jacket and put it on without zipping it. He lifted his pillow, trying to find his headband. Sai pushed it across the floor with his hand. Naruto grabbed it and strapped it to his forehead.

Last night, he thought he had a good plan for getting the stone lions back where they belonged. If he could just convince the innkeeper to return them and explained why they couldn't be moved, everything would be set right. Ayaka wouldn't get sick anymore and the rain may start falling again. The innkeeper didn't seem like an unreasonable person, so Naruto was confident that he would listen to what he had to say. After all, the stone lions weren't his in the first place. He had to return them.

"I guess I should talk to him as soon as possible. I don't want to wait too long. But I don't want to ask him when he just woke up, either. He might be grumpy in the morning. Maybe I should wait until after breakfast? Is that too late?"

He heard movement in the hall and hurried to the door. Leaving Sai behind, Naruto went into the hallway and from there the dining room. Sakura was sitting at the table alone waiting for her breakfast.

"Morning, Naruto."

"Yeah, morning." Naruto looked into the kitchen and in the main room. He couldn't find him anywhere.

"What are you looking for?"

"The innkeeper guy. Do you know where he is?"

Sakura pointed. "I think he's serving Ayaka and Haruki in their room. Why?"

Without answering, Naruto went back into the hallway and over the the second to last room on the end. The innkeeper was just coming out, pushing a small metal cart back toward the kitchen. "Hey, innkeeper guy! I have to talk to you about something important."

"Ok, can it wait a moment? I have to get back to the kitchen. I left a pan on in there."

"Yeah, ok. But hurry."

Naruto waited for the innkeeper to come back. When he didn't return for five minutes, Naruto went looking for him. The door beside him opened and out came Neji.

"What were you doing in there?" Naruto asked, not expecting to see him inside.

Neji frowned. "I was going to the bathroom. Why are you giving me that look?"

"I'm not giving you a look. I'm looking for the innkeeper." Naruto stood on his toes, trying to see over Neji's shoulders. "Have you seen him?"

"Well, he isn't in there, I can assure you." Neji pushed him aside. "If you don't mind, I'm eating something quick and going to bed. I had a rough night."

Naruto smirked. "Oh, yeah... Weren't you on the roof all last night?"

"Yeah."

"And they never showed up, did they, Neji?"

He stopped and turned around. "How do you know that?"

Naruto puffed out his chest and stood tall, feeling very proud of himself. "Because I solved everything. I got rid of the spirits last night. I found what they were looking for and they're gone now. They won't be coming back."

Neji blinked, tuning out everything that came after the word 'spirits'. Then he sighed and started toward the dining room again. "I'm too tired for this..."

"But it's true!" Naruto hurried after him. "It's all true! I did solve everything. Ok, Sai helped a little, but it was mostly me! I got rid of them. Everything's fine now. Well, not everything. I still have to talk to the innkeeper about something."

"Well, whatever it is, you might want to make it fast. We'll be leaving soon."

Naruto stopped walking. "Soon? What do you mean by 'soon'? When? You mean today?" Naruto followed Neji into the dining room. "Well? Are we leaving today? Tell me!"

"We're leaving as soon as everything's set. Since the shadows didn't appear last night, there's no longer a reason for us to stay. Our mission was to make sure they didn't come back. If they're gone, there's no point in us staying."

"Yeah, Naruto," said Sakura. "And we still have to get Sai back to the village so we can figure out what's wrong with him."

"But we can't leave yet!" Naruto burst out. "We still haven't solved everything. What about the drought?"

"It's an act of nature. There's nothing we can do about that."

"What about Ayaka? She'll get sick again. With the guardians still missing from their rightful place. They have to be returned."

Neji rubbed his head. "Naruto, what are you talking about?"

"Without the guardian spirits where they belong, Ayaka's going to keep getting sick."

"But she's fine now," said Sakura. "She doesn't look so sick to me."

"That's only because of the necklace. As long as she's wearing it, she'll be fine. If she takes it off, then she'll get sick again and stay that way. Returning the spirits to where they belong is the only way to make sure she stays healthy without the necklace. That's why I have to talk to the innkeeper."

Sakura pointed. "The innkeeper left. He said he was going to his brother's house and coming right back."

"What?!"

"Yeah, he just brought us breakfast and... Naruto, where are you going?" Sakura called out as Naruto turned on his heels and ran out the front door.

The sunlight blinded Naruto as soon as he stepped outside. It was so bright and painful. He shut his eyes tight and ran across the street, bumping into the building in front of him. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the light. It was so hot! It felt like summer. The sun had only just risen and already it was this hot? He wondered how much hotter it would get.

With no time to waste, Naruto summoned up ten Shadow Clones and sent them off in different directions to find the innkeeper. The real Naruto searched on the main road, keeping the sun on his back the whole way. He saw his clones jumping from one roof to another and in and out of different streets, searching high and low for the innkeeper. With their help, they should find the innkeeper in no time.

"I don't see him!" yelled one of the clones.

"Me neither!" called another.

"What if he went back to the inn already?"

Naruto turned around. "I'll check it out! Keep looking!" Luck was on his side. As the inn came into view, Naruto could make out the innkeeper's image in the bright sunlight. "Hey! Over here!"

The innkeeper was walking with another man back to the inn. Both men stopped as Naruto got closer. The clones behind him popped, no longer needed. Naruto stood in the shadows of the two men and tried to get a better look at the two of them. One was the innkeeper. The other was Ayaka's intimidating father. He must have been stopping by to check up on his daughter.

"I only stepped out for a moment. Is everything alright?" asked the innkeeper.

Naruto had originally planned on organizing his thoughts and reasoning better and speaking to the innkeeper in a diplomatic and coherent manner. Instead he blurted out, "You have to return the guardian spirits to their rightful home!"

The innkeeper tilted his head. "Pardon me?"

Naruto tried to explain. "The two stone lions you have in front of your inn? They don't belong there. You took them from somewhere else."

"Yes, I did. From a cave on the other side of the river. Years ago."

"But they don't belong to you. You shouldn't have taken them."

"But it was an old cave. If they belonged to anyone, they could have stopped by anytime in the last ten years."

"Ten years?" Naruto knew it. They must have been the real guardian spirits after all. The innkeeper had taken them ten years ago and Ayaka had been sick for the past ten years. The time line matched up perfectly. "It's because you moved them that Ayaka got sick in the first place!"

"What?"

"What?" Ayaka's father turned to the innkeeper. Then he turned to Naruto. "What's your reasoning behind that claim? They're just statues."

"No, they're not. They're really twin guardian spirits. They were keeping out evil spirits and curses from the village. When you moved them away from that cave, it allowed a curse to come in and attack Ayaka. That's what made her sick in the first place."

"That's impossible."

"Is it?" Naruto pointed to each man with his evidence. "You brought them here how many years ago?"

"Ten years," answered the innkeeper.

"And how many years has Ayaka been sick?"

"Ten years," said her father.

"See? Proof! All you have to do is return them to the cave and she'll be fine."

"You have no way of knowing that," said her father. "They're made of stone. If they really were spirits, wouldn't they have gone home themselves by now if they weren't meant to be here?"

"Uh..." Naruto hadn't thought of that. He did have a point.

By this time the people in the inn started to gather at the door, listening to the conversation. Sakura looked curious while Neji looked annoyed. Haruki and Ayaka stood in the doorway as well, pressed closely together in their nightclothes.

"Either way, they should go back to the cave. You took them from there," continued Naruto. "Don't you think they were put there for a reason?"

Ayaka's father shook his head. "That's complete nonsense. How could returning them possibly make my daughter well? Even if that were the case, why should we bother? She's healthy now. We don't need to return the stone statues. I gave her a tiger's bone I found in that cave and that seems to work just fine."

"From the cave..?" Now things started to make sense. "Was it was same cave where the guardians were sitting?"

"I suppose," he shrugged. "I helped him carry the stone statues back, but that was years ago. I only went in there looking from something that would help my daughter feel better. Herbs and things like that. But I found a bone in there and took that instead."

"The tiger's bone?"

"Yeah. Two months or so ago. It was laying by this old broken wicker basket. I thought I could use that for something but it was full of holes, so I threw it in the river when I was crossing the bridge."

That explained how the basket ended up in the river in the first place. It all made sense.

"That bone isn't going to cut it," said Naruto. "Sooner or later, as you already found out, she'll get sick again."

"Not as long as she wears it."

"But you already know she can't keep it on forever. That's what I was telling you a second ago. She took it off one time and she got sick again. Sure when she put it on again, she was ok. But how long before it comes off again?"

"Once you leave the village, never," said the father. "You were the one who stole it from her neck in the first place."

"But that kid Nozomu did the same thing and threw it down the well. Don't you get it? She can't keep it on forever. Sooner or later it's going to come off, one way or another. The chain could break and the bone could fall off. Someone could take it from her again. She could be going for a walk and get it hooked on a branch or something. She can't keep it on forever. The only way to make sure she doesn't get sick again is to return the guardians to where you found them. They have to stay there. They'll protect your village."

"Why can't they do it from here?"

Naruto had to think about that for a moment. "Well... Uh, well, because they're already in the village. What good is it to keep things from coming into the village if they're already in the village? In order to keep things from coming in, you have to be outside. Right? That's why you have a lock on the door and not on a table. We were doing that these past few night, too. We stood just outside the village in order to keep things from coming in. It must be the same way for the guardian spirits."

The innkeeper nodded. "I suppose that would make sense. In order to keep something from entering... Yes, I see what you mean."

"Then you'll return them?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"I'm still not convinced."

Naruto's shoulders slumped.

"In any case," said Ayaka's father, "The necklace is working for her so why change it? Don't fix it if it isn't broken."

"Weren't you listening? I told you that it's only temporary! Eventually, the necklace isn't going to help. It has to come off some time. She can't wear it forever."

"But there's no guarantee that returning those statues is going to solve anything. It's just a theory you have. What if returning them does nothing?"

"And what if it does?" Naruto had to get these men to understand. Ayaka's father was going to be his biggest problem. This man wasn't going to be convinced with what little proof he had. "I told you that the timing is just right for them to be connected. Ayaka got sick after you moved the guardians from the opening of the cave. I'm positive that if they are put back then she'll be completely cured and won't need the necklace anymore."

"The necklace is working. I don't see any reason to look for another solution when the problem is already solved."

This man was so stubborn. Ayaka's father simply wouldn't listen to reason.

Naruto grabbed fistfuls of his hair, trying to contain himself. If this man continued to be so stubborn, Naruto was going to try beating some sense into him.

"The necklace won't work anymore. The issue isn't solved."

The men and Naruto quieted and turned to the girl walking out of the inn. The tiger's bone bounced and swung with every quick step she took.

"Ayaka..."

She stood between Naruto and her father, holding the necklace in her closed fist. "Daddy... did you take this bone from someone's grave?"

"No, I found it in a cave."

"You told me you got it to make me feel better."

"And I did. You're healthy now."

"But I thought you got it from someone in town or from someone else."

"The chain I got in town but the bone..."

"You disturbed someone's resting place and stole from a corpse?" Ayaka looked angry.

Her father tried to reassure her. "No, no... It was a tiger's bone. I didn't go grave robbing."

"An animal is no different. You had no right to disturb someone's grave. Even for me. That poor animal could have been very dear to someone. You may as well have been grave robbing."

"It was just a tiger. It was in a cave. The body was buried in dirt. That bone was the only one sticking up from the ground. It required little work for me to get it. Taking one bone when the body has hundreds more doesn't..."

Ayaka shook her head. "Daddy, if I died and someone took a bone from my body, wouldn't you be upset?"

"That's different. It's just an animal."

"Animal or not, it was someone's grave. If it was buried in the earth..."

"Time probably did most of the work..."

"Daddy!" Ayaka waited for her father to settle down before speaking again. "Most of my life I've spent in bed relaying on other people to take care of me. I could never do anything. Now I'm taking a stand. Now I'm choosing what I want and what I'm going to do. I don't want to wear a necklace like this anymore. I only wore it because you gave it to me. Now that I know you took it from someone's remains... the grave of an animal... I cannot wear it anymore. This doesn't belong to me. It's part of someone's corpse. Their body. It belongs to them. Not me."

"But it made you well," her father protested.

"So will the guardians if they are returned to where they belong." She looked back at the inn where the twin lions sat watching them. "I believe Naruto."

"But he doesn't know..."

"I heard from his other friends," Ayaka told the men. "Last night the shadows didn't come back. They were wandering spirits. They were looking for their home. Naruto helped them. Now they won't be back. He helped them. I'm sure he knows what he's talking about." She held the necklace even tighter in her hand. "Without this, the tiger may not..." Her face looked pain, as if she could feel the tiger's heartache. "Everyone needs a home."

Naruto looked at the stone lions. From there his eyes drifted toward the door where the rest of his team and Haruki stood watching them. Sai stood with them with an readable expression. He almost looked sad. Maybe hopeful? No matter how Naruto looked at him, Sai seemed out of place. Like the stone lions, he seemed to know he didn't belong here.

"Even if you found it in a cave, it was still someone's resting place. You shouldn't take anything that doesn't belong to you." Ayaka was still talking but Naruto only caught the last bit of what she was saying.

Her father didn't look angry, but he looked desperate. "But Ayaka, it made you well. You're better now because of that bone."

"Not anymore." With one hard tug, Ayaka ripped the necklace off in her hand. The broken chain was reflected in their eyes. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. From the door, Sai pressed closer to watch. Ayaka turned to Naruto and placed the bone, chain and all into his palm. "I refuse to wear this any longer. Now you have no choice. Now you have to return the stone lions to the cave. That is your only option if you want to keep me healthy."

"But what if it doesn't? You need that!" Her father's hands were raised as if he were about to take the necklace back and make her wear it. He never moved to do so.

"Now is your chance to find out. If the stone lions are returned and I don't get sick then you'll have your answer. But I am not putting that back on and I don't want you to try finding anymore bones. Try this first. Return them. That is your only option."

Naruto may not have been able to convince Ayaka's father, but she managed to get through to him. He couldn't refuse his daughter. Not the person he loved so much who had been so sick and helpless for the past ten years. If this was what she wanted, he would do it.

The innkeeper turned to her father with a crooked smile. "Well, I'm not really losing anything but some interesting decorations. I say we do it. Like they said, the statues must have been there for a reason. Maybe they were grave markers. That tiger bone must belong to a very important corpse. I suppose I should return them."

Reluctantly, Ayaka's father agreed. "Alright. But hurry up about it. I don't want her getting sick again. Don't dawdle."

Naruto stuffed the necklace into his pocket and hurried to help the innkeeper move the heavy stone guardians. Haruki went to fetch his wheelbarrow to help carry the statues across the river and over to the cave while Naruto and his clones pried the stone lions from the front of the inn. It took more time than Naruto thought it would. Removing the stone guardians from the front of the inn, moving them one at a time into the wheelbarrow and making the long trip across the river and to the cave took a little more than an hour. Naruto's clones helped move the stone lions to their proper positions by the cave's entrance with the innkeeper supervising. Finally, the stone guardians were back where they belonged. Naruto stepped back to get a good look at them. Somehow, they made the cave look complete.

When they returned to the village, Ayaka's father informed them that his daughter was starting to feel weak again but suddenly got better. At exactly the same time the last statue was put into place. Naruto jumped up and down, having his point proven and fixing another of the village's problems.

"I told you! Didn't I tell you? I told you!" Naruto said smugly at dinner that night. "Wasn't I great? You guys didn't see it. You didn't believe me, but look what happened. Looks like I did the best job on this mission."

"Stop gloating," lectured Sakura. "You shouldn't brag."

"You act as if you did all the work," added Neji.

"Well..?" Naruto helped himself to seconds, still grinning from ear to ear.

The others kept their heads down as they ate. Naruto hadn't shut up about this since the stone lions were brought back to the cave. Now with the proof they needed, Ayaka's father and the innkeeper promised not to disturb those stone lions again. Nor would they go anywhere near that cave. Ayaka was healthy and would stay that way and no longer need the bone necklace.

"Yup," Naruto said again. "I did great on this mission. The bracelet was found and returned to Haruki's mother, the guardians were returned to where they belong, Ayaka's no longer sick and she won't get sick again, the shadow people aren't going to come back. Everything's fixed. They're married, she doesn't need the necklace anymore, no more wandering spirits... Yup. Everything worked out ok."

"Just in time for us to leave tomorrow morning," said Sakura.

"Looks like we fixed everything just in time," Naruto said proudly.

"Not everything, so don't sound so cocky," said Neji. "There's still the matter of what happened to Sai. We still need to get him help."

"Oh, yeah..." Naruto frowned. He thought for sure Sai would return to normal once everything in the village was settled. He still had no idea what happened to Sai or why he was behaving this way.

There were a few small changes in him, however. Sai wasn't looking out the window as much as he had been before. He still wasn't eating, but he seemed slightly more cheerful. Slightly. He still wasn't speaking in full sentences. He still seemed to be off in his own little world most of the time. The toad was no longer around so he had no one to call 'rabbit' or keep him company. Sai just seemed lost.

"He could get better, though..." Naruto turned back to Neji. "Either way, I solved all the problems in this village. That's my point."

"Not everything. It still hasn't rained," Neji pointed out. "You did nothing about that."

Naruto looked out the window at the dark blue sky. Not a cloud in sight. Even after all this, it still hadn't rained in this village.

He sat back with a sigh. Something jabbed him in the stomach. "Ow." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Ayaka's bone necklace. He had forgotten it was still in his pocket.

"White tiger."

Naruto looked up. Sai was staring at him with round gentle eyes.

Closing his fist around the necklace, Naruto got up from the table. "I'll be right back." Naruto motioned for Sai to follow him. There was still one thing left for them to do.

Pulling out a flashlight, Naruto left the inn with Sai not far behind. Naruto swung it around the village, lighting their path. No one tried to stop them. Sakura and Neji seemed used to his impulsiveness and let him do as he pleased.

Naruto shone the light towards the river, trying to find his way to the bridge. The light from his flashlight flickered over the water, making twinkling stars in the rippling waves. He crossed the bridge, swinging the flashlight playfully in his hand. The stars were out again tonight, hanging overhead in the cloudless sky. The moon was out, too, shining brightly with the stars. With them lighting their path, Naruto didn't really need his flashlight. At least not until they reached the forest which blocked out the sky. Naruto stepped off the bridge, his feet touching the soft grass on the other side. This patch of land got its water from the passing river, unlike the village on the other side which was dried and scorched.

They walked in silence into the forest. Naruto kept touching the bone inside his pocket every now and again to make sure he didn't drop it. After a few minutes, they emerged at the base of a small hill. At the top of the hill were the cave and the two stone lions guarding it. Naruto glanced at Sai, trying to get a look at his expression. He was smiling.

Naruto took in a deep breath and trudged up the hill to the cave. He stood between the stone guardians and looked them up and down. He could barely see them under the night sky. He turned his attention back to the cave. Stretching the light out in front of him, he peered into the darkness. Even with the lions on either side of him, Naruto felt as if he were alone in a strange place. He gulped. This was the same feeling he had the first time he stood in this spot. He felt scared, as if something were about to jump out and attack him.

"Hello?" His voice was thin, fading into the endless dark. "Hello?"

He took open step forward and a rush of cool air blew out at him, as if pushing him away. Shrieking, Naruto ran back the way he came, his heart racing faster than his feet on the ground. He nearly tumbled down the hill as he ran back toward the forest.

Naruto stood at the bottom of the hill, looking back toward the cave, shaking. There was no telling how many spirits were in there. He was afraid to find out. What if they were vengeful? What if those stone lions put a curse on him for entering? What if he went inside and ended up coming out like Sai? So many possibilities ran through his mind. Now that he knew these things were real, the danger became infinite. So many things could go wrong and anything was possible. There were such things as ghost and there were spirits. He had met several this week. His fears were confirmed. He wanted to turn back and hide in his room with his friends nearby. If this was a normal ninja-related situation, he wouldn't have been nearly as frightened. Only ghosts could send him running in the other direction.

For the second time in two days, Naruto felt another hand wrap around his. Naruto looked to his right, shining the flashlight in Sai's face. Not bothered by the light, Sai smiled, keeping his round eyes on Naruto's. Naruto then looked at their hands and remembered what Sai had said their first night in this village when looking for the shadow people: 'If you're scared, I'll hold your hand'. Sai was trying to comfort Naruto, sensing his fear.

Sai didn't want him to be afraid. Sai didn't want him to run away. He wanted Naruto to enter this cave with that bone.

Pushing away his fear, Naruto nodded to Sai. "Ok. Let's go." They marched up the hill together, hand in hand. Sai bowed his head to the stone guardians and entered the cave, dragging Naruto behind him. It was a good thing they were holding hands because, while Naruto's mind told him to enter the cave, his legs told him not to and kept trying to carrying back to the forest outside.

Naruto took slow, careful steps into the cave, the light shaking from his trembling hand. The cave was just as cool as before and just as dark. Naruto tried to keep the flashlight steady so he could see where they were going.

Sai's pace began to slow. Naruto slowed as well. He held the flashlight higher. Even with the light he couldn't see anything. He didn't know large this cave was, but no matter how far they walked, he could never see the back of it. Suddenly, Sai stopped. Naruto halted, looking forward. There was nothing different about this area as far as he could tell.

As he looked at Sai, he noticed that his eyes were cast down. Naruto shined the flashlight on the ground in front of them. The ground was bumpy. The cave was by no means flat, but this area seemed different somehow. Naruto didn't want to get too close, fearing something bad would happen if he touched it. So Naruto took in a deep breath and puffed out a mouthful of air, blowing the dirt aside. Stones? They didn't look natural. He blew again. The dirt moved aside revealing the hooked shape of an old bone.

Naruto jumped behind Sai. "That's the tiger's body, isn't it? Those are its bones."

Sai kept his eyes on the ground where the body lay as if lamenting. Sai's hand was still wrapped around Naruto's. Unable to leave the cave, Naruto tried to figure out what Sai wanted. He looked from Sai to the grave of the white tiger. Its body was buried but a few parts were close enough to the surface for Naruto to see.

He looked at his pocket. He could see the bulge where the necklace rested. Immediately, Naruto knew what to do. He pulled his hand free from Sai's and reached into his pocket, taking out the bone. Very slowly, he inched closer to where the body lay. He glanced back at Sai who seemed to be watching him with approval. This must have been what he wanted. Naruto didn't want to get too close, but he had to get the bone as close as he could to the rest of the body. Finding a good spot, Naruto moved the bone closer to the corpse. This was where it seemed to make the most sense. There was a small dent in the ground where the bone must have originated. This must have been where it belonged.

He took one more look at Sai who smiled at him, pleased by his actions. This was what he wanted. This was the right thing to do. Reaching as far as he could so he wouldn't touch the other bones, Naruto placed the bone, necklace chain and all, into the small hole among the rest of the bones. Naruto stepped back, looking over the resting place of the white tiger. The bone was back where it belonged, along with the other bones, making the body complete. The white tiger was whole again.

"That was the strangest sensation," commented Sai.

His first complete sentence in days.

Naruto's head spun around, staring at Sai. His eyes weren't cloudy and seemed to be alert. He was no longer seeing things in a fog. He looked at Naruto clearly for the first time since their first visit to this cave. "Sai, you're back! You are back, right?"

Sai blinked. "I never left."

They walked out of the cave side by side. Naruto had so many questions. Now that Sai was able to speak to him in a coherent manner, he was able to tell Naruto everything he knew. Naruto hung on his every word.

"I've never felt anything like that before," he told Naruto. "I entered the cave and came upon that area inside. I could barely make out the bones. And then that... I felt the spirit of the white tiger... it came inside me."

"So you were possessed?"

"I'm not sure. Not completely, at least. It was inside my body, but I knew what was going on. It was more like we were sharing a consciousness. There were two of us coexisting at the same time in the same body. I had some control but the tiger had control, too. I could see what was happening and I could hear your voices, but everything seemed so far away. It was as if I was seeing the world half asleep."

"Did it hurt?" Naruto asked him as they walked through the forest back toward the village. "When the white tiger came inside you. Did it hurt?"

"No. Not really. It wasn't painful at all. It just felt strange. It felt kind of warm. Like there was warm liquid filling my body on the inside. I knew there was someone sharing a body with me. But I wasn't afraid. I didn't feel any fear. I suppose I felt... comforted? Maybe?"

"Still no luck with your feelings, huh, Sai?" Naruto had a feeling Sai wouldn't be able to describe this very well.

"I think it was comfort. As if I knew nothing bad was going to happen and that the one entering my body meant me no harm. It was like being wrapped in a warm soft blanket on a cold winter day."

"That does sound nice."

"At the same time, it was hard to think. Like I said, it was like I was half asleep. But because we were sharing a consciousness, I was able to connect with the white tiger."

"What do you mean connect?" asked Naruto.

"Well, I'm not sure how to explain it but it was as if I understood him and what needed to happen. Like it was communicating with me. Suddenly, I knew everything the white tiger knew."

"Sort of like you were sharing a brain?" suggested Naruto. "So what was that like?"

"Again, it's hard to explain." Sai was quiet, trying to think of a way to explain it. "Well, when I came back to the village that night and saw the stone lions, something inside me told me that they were my friends and they were spirits who needed to be shown respect in some way. Then I knew their history. It was as if it were my history with them, too. So whatever happened to the white tiger also happened to me. His history became my history. Do you know what I mean?"

"Uh..." Naruto hadn't a clue. Yet, part of him felt as if he knew what Sai was trying to say without him having to explain it. "So basically, you became the white tiger."

"Sort of. Not exactly, but..." Sai shook his head. "It's too much to think about. I'm not even sure I can describe it to you. I'm not even sure myself."

As they crossed the bridge into the village, Naruto started chuckling. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to have you back as yourself."

Sai looked up confused. "Oh?"

"I mean you were weird before when you two were sharing a body."

"I see."

Naruto was about to say something else when something touched his hand. He looked down. There was nothing there. He felt it again on his nose this time. He looked up at the sky. He could no longer see the stars or the moon, but he was able to see something truly amazing. It came forward and covered the village. The beautiful sound shushed Naruto and all noise in the village as people stood gaping at the sky in awe.

It had finally started raining.

* * *

Kind of a long chapter.

There's one chapter left. Keep an eye out for the next and last one ;)

Please review ^-^


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: **

The rain continued to fall over the village. The people left their homes and stood in the street watching it fall with relieved smiles. The dry grass and plant-life, like the people, eagerly stretched upward, reaching to catch the welcomed raindrops. It was a gentle rain that kissed the earth, cooling the hot village.

Shivering, Naruto and Sai ran back to the inn to dry off and tell the others what had happened. The innkeeper had served them some warm food quickly before joining the other villagers outside. Naruto and Sai sat at the table wrapped in warm towels as they ate their miso soup, the bowls hot under their palms. Without asking, Sai reached for Naruto's bowl, sliding it over beside his empty one and began to slurp from it eagerly. He was as parched as the dry earth outside and couldn't wait for more. He tipped his bowl up, drinking the soup quickly, never pausing.

"Sai, slow down," warned Sakura as she watched him. "You'll give yourself a headache from drinking hot soup so fast."

"Or get lightheaded," added Neji.

Sai drained his bowl and set it aside with the other one. "I can't help it. I'm really, really hungry."

"I don't blame you," smiled Naruto. "You barely ate anything while that tiger was inside of you. You must be starving."

"If that's the case then we should reintroduce food slowly to him to avoid certain problems," said Sakura.

Sai started grabbing crackers from the table and started eating them one right after another. He just wanted to feel full and didn't care about the consequences.

"You only ate one small bowl of rice a day," said Naruto. "Did that tiger not need to eat or did he only let you eat just a tiny bit to keep you alive because he knew you needed it?"

Sai stopped eating long enough to answer him. "I'm not sure."

"A few minutes ago, you told me that you knew everything the white tiger knew and now you're saying you have no idea?"

Sai shrugged. "It's strange. I understood so much before... And now..." He shoved another cracker into his mouth. "It's getting fuzzier now. Now that the bond has been severed, I can't feel anything from it anymore."

"But I'm talking about before when you could."

"Even that is hard to remember, Naruto. Since we're no longer connected, even the things I used to know because of the white tiger are fading away. It's like having an injury from a long time ago. You know you were injured but the memory of the pain becomes weak and fuzzy. You know you were in pain but you can't remember what it felt like exactly. You have an idea but..." Sai started looking around for something else to eat now that the crackers were gone. "I think that's how it is. I'm not sure."

"So there really was a white tiger that possessed you?" asked Sakura. "I know you said it but I still can't believe it."

Sai grabbed an apple from the small bowl of fruit on the edge of the table. "I wasn't exactly possessed. It was inside my body. It's getting harder to remember what it was like."

"But all those stories I heard from all those people... were they all true?" asked Naruto, leaning closer to Sai. "I know they're real, but I want to know if they're true. You know?"

"You mean if there was really a sage and if the rabbit ever went to live on the moon with that woman?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Sai nodded. "Yes, that's all true. Of course, some things had been changed over the years. Things are bound to be altered from its original content. Some things varied but basically all of it was true. The basic idea of it at least. The time line is also pretty accurate, the details over who said what are a little different but it's still the same story."

Naruto nodded slowly, trying to understand what Sai was saying. "Uh... huh... Ok."

"You have no idea what he said, do you?" Sakura asked, looking annoyed.

"I have an idea..." Naruto noticed that Neji had barely said anything except for a few short comments and looked his way. Neji was sitting quietly, watching Sai eat. "You believe me now?" Naruto asked him, grinning.

Neji didn't say anything at first. Then he sighed and looked the other way. "Given what we've seen, I have to."

Naruto started doing a victory dance at the table.

"I mean, the rain, the necklace, the well, the shadows, what happened to Sai... It all fits and it all makes sense. I have to believe it even though it seems impossible."

"Stop dancing!" Sakura screamed in Naruto's ear.

* * *

The rain fell all night and most of the morning. After breakfast, Naruto and the others packed their things and started to depart for the Leaf Village. The villagers, even though it was still drizzling, came out to see them off. Ayaka, holding hands with Haruki, waved them off together. The innkeeper and Ayaka's father beside Nozomu and his father and mother waved under umbrellas. And the rest of the villagers waved to them from their homes, leaning out of windows and doors, catching the rain on their hands and they bid them farewell. Everyone waved good-bye and left.

Naruto stomped in the puddles as they walked through the forest back to the Leaf Village. The rain was very slight so Naruto barely noticed it. Sakura was the only one who bothered with an umbrella.

"There's still a couple of things I don't get," said Naruto as he walked closer to Sai.

Sai turned his head. "What's that?"

"Why did it only rain when the bone was brought back to the rest of the white tiger's body? It had enough power to enter your body so..."

"So why didn't it have the power to make it rain?"

He nodded.

"I think it only had enough power to enter my body. I think that was about all it could do. I don't think it could leave the cave to help so it needed a body so it could." Sai looked at the gray sky overhead. "According to the old belief, the tiger has to be able to roar in order to signal the dragon in the sky to make it rain. I don't think it could roar unless its body is complete. That's why it didn't rain in the village. The tiger's body was broken up so it couldn't roar. Now that it's together again, now it can roar."

"Hm. Yeah, that makes sense." Naruto moved on to his next question. "Ok, but what about the guardians? Ayaka's dad wanted to know why they couldn't just go back to where they belonged on their own. If they didn't want to be there, why didn't they just get up and leave?"

Sai wasted no time in answering. "According to all the stories I've heard on the subject of spirits, especially guardian spirits, they aren't allowed to move while there are others around. They probably couldn't leave even if they wanted to because of that rule. They can't move."

"Not as long are there are people around, huh? So as long as there were people in the village, they couldn't do anything about it and had to stay even if they didn't want to? Huh." Naruto moved on to his third question. "You said last night that even though the stories are true, some things have gotten changed over the years."

"Yes."

"The story of the Lady of the Moon said that any man who looked at her would try to follow her into the water and drown because they couldn't resist her beauty. Neji and I both saw her but he was the only one who fell under her spell. Why didn't I?"

Sai grinned. "Maybe you're not a real man after all. I always said you did have any ba-"

"Shut up! I'm being serious here!"

Sai gave it some serious thought then answered him. "The story also said that spirits were able to meet with her and not fall under any spell."

"Yeah. And?"

"Don't you have the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of you? Isn't that a spirit?"

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto had forgotten about that. "So you think having the Fox inside of me gave me some sort of protection?"

"Could be."

It was true that he didn't try to follow the woman unlike Neji, but it was also true that he felt strange when he was speaking to her. The Fox must have allowed him to resist to some extent. Maybe it was the Fox's way of protecting him. He could accept that for an answer.

By this time, Sai had walked away from Naruto, thinking he was finished asking him questions. Naruto no longer had anything to ask him. He had all the answers he needed. Not wanting to be left behind, Naruto started to pick up the pace.

Something moved out the corner of his eye, causing him to stop. Naruto turned. There was something watching him from the trees. Naruto leaned closer for a better look.

A white tiger was standing in the forest, watching him with eyes that matched the moon. At first, Naruto couldn't tell if it was real or not but was too afraid to move. Then, very slowly, the tiger lowered its head in a grateful bow. The white tiger lifted its head and began to turn. Sitting on its back was a small white rabbit, whose eyes kept shifting from those of a toad to that of a rabbit. The white tiger took two steps to the side, turned its large body and vanished.

Naruto's mouth fell open. "Did you guys see that?" he asked in a small voice.

"See what?" asked Sakura from far away.

Naruto turned and saw that the rest of the team was too far away and were facing the wrong direction. None of them had seen it. He looked back into the forest but there was no trace left of the tiger. "N... never mind."

"Then let's go. Hurry up!"

"We want to make it back to the village some time soon."

"Don't fall behind, Naruto."

Naruto's feet started to move. "Got it. Coming!" He caught up to the rest of the group and walked with them through the rain. He looked over his shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of what he had seen only moments ago but couldn't find anything. Nothing but trees.

But he knew what he saw. Knowing that alone made him smile. He was afraid of it at first, but the white tiger didn't seem threatening at all. Only its image made people fear it, when it was actually quite gentle. It was gentle enough for the rabbit on its back. He also knew why he had seen it and no one else. It was trying to thank him. It was seeing him off before returning home.

"Now we're going home."

Sakura shook her head. "Where did you think we were going, Naruto? Honestly..."

Naruto didn't bother explaining himself. All that mattered was that he knew.

They were returning home. Everyone had a home to return to. The white tiger, the stone guardians, the wandering spirits. Even the rabbit had a home on the moon with the beautiful woman.

He had hated this mission at first, but now he was happy they did it. He was happy to be on this mission. He believed that these things would have never been solved without his help. Naruto may have been the only one able to speak to the Lady of the Moon. He actually bothered to pay attention to Sai while he was harboring a spirit in his body. He bothered going down the well when no one else did. He didn't do it without help, of course, but Naruto was still feeling pretty proud of himself.

Naruto gave one last look over his shoulder down the path between the trees. Back where Ayaka held hands with her new husband Haruki. Back where Nozomu no longer had to throw things down a dried up well wishing for rain. Where the innkeeper waited for newcomers at the wooden inn, where the old woman told stories to children. Where the wandering spirits no longer needed to tread. Naruto may have been leaving all that behind but he would always remember it.

The trees started to thin in places allowing the group of ninja to see the hill on the other side. But their path would take them a different way. Neji led them down their path which curved to the right. The hill stood on the left. Naruto managed to peer between the trees at the hill before the turn and saw the cave between the branches. He gave a small wave before joining the rest of his team, silently biding good-bye to other spirits who had returned home.

His wave was to the twin stone guardians who sat perched in front of the old cave. Before they had looked so upset, their mouths curved up in silent roars. Now it looked as if they were smiling. Peace had finally returned and everything was back where it belonged.

Through the gentle rain, the stone lions watched the ninja leave as they sat guarding their home and the village of the white tiger.

* * *

The End

I hope you liked it ^-^ It was fun to write.

Thank you all for reading. Please leave nice reviews. Thanks! ^-^


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